Unexpected
by MeRoNa119
Summary: It was very unexpected of Leo and Reyna to fall in love. Yet, they did and showed everyone how two different people can find love. Leyna. Please Read and Review. All reviews are welcome!
1. A Beginning Curiosity

**A/N: Okay, I've decided to write some Leyna but make it longer than just a OneShot. Here is the first chapter…Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan. I don't own PJO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 1- Reyna POV

_Whack! _

I throw my blade into a skinny oak tree as I mentally cussed out Jason. Why did he have to show up, just as perfect and handsome as before, but with a stupid daughter of Venus? Doesn't he know how many tears I wasted over him when he was missing? I thought we had a great relationship but then Juno just had to swap Percy and Jason and make my life a mess.

I stop for a moment to redo my long black ponytail. It's a warm, lazy day. Birds chirp happily in their trees. Campers wander lazily around, training at their own pace, not really trying nor caring enough to. Even the fish in the lake seem to be taking it easy today.

I hate it. I like progress, I like working to reach a goal. I absolutely despise taking days off to do fun activates.

I tread up to the tree and retrieve my knife. I am probably the only camper today that actually is caring about training. Everybody else is busy with Jason and his friends that just arrived this morning. Nobody is making plans to sail to Greece, which is what I wish to be doing right now. When I mentioned this to Jason, he said, "Relax for once, Reyna!"

_Whack! _ My knife hits the tree in the same spot as it always does.

"What did the tree ever do to you?"

I spin around upon hearing this male voice. Sure enough, behind me is one of Jason's friends. I forget his name but I don't think I'll ever forget his curly brown hair and cute, boyish face.

Wait a second? Did I, Reyna, praetor of Camp Jupiter, just call some measly demigod cute? What is going on with me?

"What do you mean?" I snap back at the boy.

He grins. "You are throwing a knife at a tree so I was joking and saying that the tree never did anything to you but here you are hurting it. It's called a joke. Man, are all praetors like this? Jason doesn't understand my jokes either."

I just stand there. I guess his joke was funny. I never really cared to laugh though. I don't laugh. Feeling uncomfortable about his joke going wrong, I decide to change the topic.

"What's your name again? And what are you doing out here?" I question.

This brought on an even bigger smile. Does this boy ever stop smiling? "Leo Valdez," he says and reaches out his hand for me to shake. I do so. Then we just stand there in an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"You never answered my question earlier," I tell him.

"Does it really matter why I'm out here?" he says defensively. I hold up my hands in surrender. For a boy who was just joking and looking all care-free, he suddenly changed into someone that looks much more mature. But that side of Leo only lasts for a few moments.

"Well, I better get heading back now. I know how hard it is for people to live without me for even the tiniest moment," he says. I smirk.

"See you around," I say and he walks away.

I throw my knife at the tree again and start to think. Leo Valdez. That name has a nice ring to it for some odd reason. I finally surrender and let my brain think the thought again; he was really cute! Funny too. But, he seemed cocky and laid-back, which is the exact opposite of me. I am realistic and never, ever lazy.

Even though we are so different, I can see us becoming friends. I mean, he must have been out in the forest for a reason. I wish he told me why. I guess he doesn't open up too much. That's one thing we share in common.

My favorite part of our conversation was when he got all defensive for a moment. That part of him rarely comes out, I think. Every sentence he said to me he expected me to laugh at. But that other side of him is the side I want to know. It scares me, but I am curious about Leo.

**A/N: Thank you all for reading! Please review! All reviews are welcome! I will post the next chapter very soon.**


	2. Fire Abilities

**A/N: Chapter 2 is up! I am taking advice from you readers and am going to make my chapters longer. So… Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 2- Leo's POV

Wow. Just… wow. That Reyna girl was something. She was beautiful and fierce. Stunning and tough. And to make it all complete, she's way out of my league.

That's why I like her.

I was walking in the forest, sulking about my cursed hands. Yeah, you heard me right; Leo Valdez was sulking. I tend to do that a lot but only when I'm alone. I feel like I have to put up a barrier of jokes and happiness so nobody gets the chance to see what is really going on in my mind.

Then I heard a weird 'whacking' noise so I found Reyna. We talked for a little bit and boy, am I really liking her.

I have this odd thing where I am completely into a girl for about a week (example: Thalia, etc.) and then I get over them and drool over another hot girl. Something about Reyna, though… I can tell that we are going to be friends for a very long time.

That's cool with me.

"Leo? You awake still?" I hear Piper's voice and groan in response. Since there wasn't enough room for all of us that traveled on the Argo II to dock at Camp Jupiter, Piper and I were stuck sleeping on the Argo II.

"I'm afraid Jason's going to remember exactly who Reyna is and realize that he's in love with her instead of me. Oh, who am I kidding, he probably doesn't even love me now!" Piper sobbed.

I chuckled silently at Piper. Only an Aphrodite kid could worry about their relationship when we are supposed to be sailing to Greece soon and defeating Gaea.

"Pipes, I'm not the one to ask relationship advice from. But, if you insist, I'll tell you one thing- you can always charmspeak Jason into going out with you instead of Reyna," I joke around, (as always) hoping that this will lighten the mood. I don't like when conversations turn darker. I'm afraid that I'll accidently blurt out some of my problems and then I won't be known as 'Leo, the worry-free jokester' anymore.

Instead of lightening the mood, I get a pillow in my face. I spit out the fabric and turn back on my side, preparing to fall asleep again, but what Piper just said bothers me for some reason. What if Jason does realize that he's in love with Reyna? Then both Piper and I will be heartbroken. I never thought I would be thinking this, but everything was so much easier back at the Wilderness School.

* * *

I wake up to the smell of fire. Never a good sign.

I jump out of bed, suddenly awake. If something happens to the Argo II, I am going to be really angry. I spent a long time working on this ship.

I peek into every room, looking for the tell-tale red flames that are fire, but I see nothing. Room after room there is no fire, but I can still smell the fire as clear as when I woke up.

I run outside and immediately my breath is taken away. Camp Jupiter is HUGE! I can't believe I never noticed this yesterday when we arrived. There are a bunch of campers in what I believe is the fancy Roman eating place. Some are mingling around and staying by their barracks for their designated cohort. In the distance, I can see Mount Diablo's peak. All around the place are green flowers, green trees, and green grass. This place is awesome.

Once I step off the Argo II, I turn around and see if I can spot any fire from the outside. None, but the smell of fire is still intoxicating.

"Leo? Your hair is on fire!" I hear a familiar voice cry. I whip around and Reyna stands before me, dressed in purple with her hair pulled back tightly. My first thought is: _man, she is gorgeous!_ And my second thought is: _my hair is on fire? What the heck?_

Before I can act upon this new bit of information, I feel water splashing down my head. Percy Jackson himself walks up to me.

"Sorry, instinct to douse a person's burning head. Never stopped to think that you were that Hephaestus- I mean, Vulcan- kid with the cool fire abilities," he says.

Reyna walks over to us. "Fire abilities?" she questions.

I shift nervously. If only they were cool fire abilities instead of a curse of pure destruction.

"Um, yea," I answer nervously, carefully choosing my words. "I, um, can…" I stutter. What the heck is wrong with me? I _never _stutter. I always have the right thing to say even in the worst situations. But right now, I am at a loss for words. I am trying to talk about my cursed fire powers to the girl I like and it's not going so well.

"Never mind, Leo. I'll be going now," Percy says and walks over to his girlfriend, Annabeth.

Reyna nods at me and then stalks off too. I am left alone feeling idiotic and shocked. I can't believe I ran around the Argo II thinking something was on fire when it was actually _me_ that was burning. How did my hair even catch on fire in the first place? If I can't learn to control my powers, I could possibly kill every single one of these Romans without meaning to.

This is why I go off and sulk often. Because of my evil abilities. I feel like the bad guy in this situation. It doesn't help that all the Hephaestus kids think I'm an outsider.

If I keep thinking all these bad thoughts, I'm not going to be able to call myself Leo ever again. So, instead, I start to daydream of Reyna. She looks like the girl that doesn't want anything to do with me. She seems serious and not care-free one bit. How am I going to make a girl that has the exact opposite personality love me?

I sigh and go back inside the Argo II. This is going to be difficult but if I managed to survive Enceladus, I can find a way to make Reyna mine.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review! All reviews welcome!**


	3. Delayed

**A/N: Chapter 3 is here! The length of this chapter is how long the next chapters are going to be. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 3- Reyna's POV

Its finally been decided. The chosen seven will sail to Greece tomorrow. I got everybody to come to a council meeting where we sorted every single detail about our predicament out. Jason still is regaining his memory while Percy has his back fully.

There was only one flaw in our meeting; one of the chosen seven didn't show up. Take a wild guess who that was.

You're right- Leo Valdez. That stupid repair boy with the burning head. He made some excuse about fixing the ship. I let him go because the Argo II is going to be needed very soon.

So, here I am, leaving the meeting and walking towards the Argo II.

"Reyna?" I hear somebody call. I turn towards the direction of the voice and my heart leaps. It's Jason. He's dressed in a simple orange t-shirt and jeans. I'm not used to seeing him without his praetor robe. Of course, I never will see him like that again unless he somehow earns the position again. It's going to be hard to beat Percy.

Jason jogs up beside me and we start walking.

"Hey, I was just wondering if I could ask you some questions," he said, nervously.

"What type of questions?" I enquire. Uh-oh… this conversation can turn sour if he asks about his old memories.

"About my past," he says and I stop walking. I've dreamed about this moment before. I would tell him that we were dating and then he'd say, 'I don't know how I ever liked you. You are so ugly!' Now my nightmares are coming true.

He notices my body stiffening, my mouth forming into a scowl.

"Please, Reyna. It will help me a lot if you can just answer a few simple questions," he pleads. I smirk, thinking of the old Jason and how he would never appear this desperate to me. When you're a praetor, you have to be strong and tough; always appearing confident and in charge. That old Jason is gone, unless Juno gives Jason his memories back. Which I doubt will ever happen. The gods are just like us praetors; strong and in charge of everything.

I guess I should just let him learn some stuff about his past because otherwise, Jason may never be the same again. I believe that this new Jason should at least know his past so he can make a decision on which Jason to be; the old Jason (praetor with me, ruling Camp Jupiter) or the new Jason (in love with Piper, a friend of the _graecus_.)

"Sure," I tell Jason and he looks excited that I actually agreed.

"Okay, so first; how was Camp Jupiter when I was praetor with you?" He asks.

I almost choke. What a strong first question! But, I suppose I should answer it for him.

"It was amazing. Each of the cohorts was full of Romans. Everyday campers would play games to help them learn how to fight," I remember. "You and I went around; making sure everything was going well. We never had any very serious issues to deal with. You and I were just there to keep an eye on things."

I pause to let it all sink in. Jason nods and looks off into the distance, hopefully remembering some of what I told him.

"Reyna… wasn't there a fight between the praetors once?" he recalls.

I laugh, startled. How could I ever forget that? That was one of the best times in my life. It all started when one new Roman camper wanted proof that Jason and I were good enough to rule Camp Jupiter. Jason and I happily accepted his challenge and planned to fight that evening. Word got around and all of the campers showed up to cheer us on.

The battle was intense. Half the time I had no clue who was going to win. It all ended when I stuck at the right time and knocked Jason's sword out of his hand. The campers went crazy. I stole a glance at our spectators to wave at them and brag about beating Jason when the next thing I knew, I was on the ground with Jason on top of me, holding my sword to my neck.

Instead of smirking or bragging of even just letting me go, he kissed me. Right then and there; on the ground of the training stadium. It was a short and sweet kiss. Luckily, nobody saw but I'm sure quite a few people presumed. That was only a few weeks before Jason disappeared.

Tears come to my eyes and I blink them back rapidly. Never once in my life have I cried in front of other people.

"I'm starting to remember all of that!" Jason exclaims, making me come to my senses. "Some new camper wanted us to fight and so we did. I remember the battle lasting quite a long time before I won." At this, he smirks a little, but then his facial expression turns softer. "And then… no, it couldn't be. Never mind, I just thought of something totally unreal."

I stop walking and face Jason. "No, Jason, it wasn't unreal. You kissed me that day and soon after, you disappeared. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to be going," I say and stalk off in the direction of the Argo II.

To my pleasure, Jason doesn't follow me. I reach the ship in a matter of seconds. It looks the same as always, with its bronze shields, billowing sails, and an odd figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. I make a mental note to ask Leo about that later today.

I look up and see Leo through an open window. His hair is matted with grease. He has a tool belt strapped to his waist and he's sweating profusely. I hope nothing is wrong with the ship. That means we will have to make new plans and reschedule everything, delaying us from defeating Gaea.

"Leo?" I shout. His head perks up and he glances out the window. "Everything all right in there?" I call.

He disappears for a moment and then reappears at the doorway to the ship. He lowers down a platform and invites me to step up into it.

As soon as I'm a few feet away, he says "Hey, Reyna. What did you guys talk about during the meeting today?"

"We made plans for you and the other six to set sail to Greece. You're leaving tomorrow," I summarize our council meeting to him.

Leo frowns. He hesitates a little bit before responding so I'm guessing he's going to tell me some bad news. I've noticed that Leo never hesitates before saying something. Except for this morning. That was strange.

"I hate to ruin your plans but the Argo II won't be ready to sail for another week," he tells me.

"Can't we just use another ship?"I ask Leo.

"Only if you can find one as awesome as this baby right here," he says jokingly, but I agree with him. None of our ships are as prepared for this as the Argo II. Plus, all of our ships will take more than a week to become as well-made as the Argo II.

I sigh. Great! We are going to be delayed by an entire week! All the plans I discussed today with our council are ruined.

"What exactly is wrong with it?" I ask Leo but almost immediately regret it. He drags me past all the neat lounging rooms and into the repair room which is about 105 degrees. He points at buttons and levers that seem useless to me but are apparently really important. I zone out and let him talk because the heat is really getting to me. I don't know how he can stand it in here! It's inhumanly possible.

But, his head was on fire this morning and he seems fine now.

"And be glad you have an awesome guy like me here because otherwise the ship would take _way_ longer to repair," he says, grinning, but something about this grin looks fake. I've seen this grin before, too, and I can't believe I haven't seen how obviously fake this grin is. Nobody else has seemed to notice so I give myself some credit for being the first.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here as the repair boy," I tell him. He looks shocked. I smirk. I am probably the first person to ever see past his defenses.

Instead of retaliating with a joke, he sinks to the floor. I join him, immediately regretting what I just said.

"Sorry, Leo. I shouldn't have said that. How about we talk about your incident this morning with the fire?" I try to make him feel better, but the expression on his face when I mention the fire accident this morning is terrible. It's pain like I've never seen before, even in the eyes of a dying soldier. He buries his head in his hands and I start to drown in guilt.

"Okay, scratch that," I say. We sit there in an awkward silence for a while. I feel so guilty! Obviously those subjects are bad for Leo and I just had to bring them up. It's just my luck that I now seem incredibly uncaring about his feelings. I decide to try and make him feel better, so I say, "Is there anything that I can do to make it better?"

At this, Leo chuckles and takes his head out of his hands. "Thanks for the offer, Reyna but nothing you can do can stop… this," he holds out his hands and they catch on fire. Just as quickly as the fire came, it leaves and Leo looks at me. Even though his hair is a mess and his face is covered in grime, I think that he's never looked better.

"I'm sorry Leo," I say and we lock eyes for a brief moment. I can tell that he knows I wasn't trying to make him feel bad. Most of the guilt leaves me but some still remains.

"Good luck fixing the Argo II. I'm sure you'll have it fixed in no time," I say. Then I stand up and walk out of the smoldering room.

What just happened?

**A/N: Ah! The Argo II is delayed:( But that gives us time for more Leyna... ;)**

**Please review! All reviews welcome!**


	4. A Fireside Chat

**A/N: Thank you all for reviewing! I love to hear from you guys. Without further ado, here is Chapter 4 of Unexpected:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 4- Leo's POV

_Hello, everybody. I'm Veo Ladez. I am the exact opposite of Leo Valdez. I let people see my depressing emotions and break down like a child when my crush talks to me._

That's how I felt while talking to Reyna. I acted nothing like myself. I want to go curl up in the corner and die from embarrassment whenever I think of this morning. How did Reyna see past my walls? How did she see into me like that? It doesn't help that my MAJOR crush seems to have multiplied by ten since I last saw her.

I mean, Reyna is crazy good at guessing my emotions. She knew exactly what to say to break me down. I can't let that happen any longer. From this point on, I am _not_ going to open up to Reyna.

Instead, I should try flirting more. That is my usual style to get a girl, anyways. But Reyna isn't any usual girl that I take a liking to… she's more.

"Leo?"

"Huh?" I snap out of my daze and see Piper staring at me, concerned. It's dinner time. Everybody is gathered in the eating area. I'm sitting at a table with Percy and Annabeth (who are laughing about something Percy just said) Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel and none other than Reyna herself. Reyna is staring into the distance, scowling, quite like what I was just doing. She seems to be lost in thought. I wonder what is causing her to scowl.

"What exactly is wrong with our ship?" Piper asks. I think she's just trying to make conversation between everybody else besides Percy and Annabeth, who are laughing it up.

"I would try and explain it to you but it nearly killed Reyna when I told her this afternoon," I try to spare Piper from my long explanation of how the rudder won't fit in the gudgeon, the elevators need to be combined into one stabilator, etc. Once I start talking about that kind of stuff, it's hard to stop.

When Hazel laughs, all her curls shake. "Well, I can help you with the rudder. I've had experience with working on ships before," she informs me.

"Cool. Thanks," I tell her. Maybe we'll be off sooner. I try and tell myself that leaving sooner is a good thing but part of my brain tells me that if I stay I'll have more time with Reyna. Who knows what'll happen to me when we're fighting Gaea.

I swallow the rest of my burger. I could possibly never see Reyna again after this battle.

No! I mentally slap myself. I need to think positively. All these depressing thoughts are turning me into a person I don't want to be.

"I'm sorry the ship had to break down like that," Frank says. He would be a tough-looking kid but his baby face ruins the image. Still, I try and avoid him because his powers scare me! I wish I could turn into any animal whenever I please. Instead, I'm stuck with a curse that causes millions to die if I can't control it...

I sigh. So much for thinking positively. But really, from now on, I'll try to do better.

Piper and Hazel start up a conversation about Camp Jupiter and Jason and Frank join in. Occasionally, I say something like, "That's awesome!" but most of the time I spend staring at Reyna. She's talking with Percy and Annabeth, but looks uncomfortable. I notice the way she fidgets with the collar of her purple ensemble. I also take note on how she doesn't seem to be wearing any makeup, which surprises me since she is beautiful.

"Earth to Leo!" Piper snickers at my confused expression.

"Yes, Beauty Queen?" I say.

"Dinner's over. You've been sitting there, staring at your plate for a while now," When she says this, I glance up and see that the majority of the campers have left. I must've been daydreaming or something.

"Oops," I apologize and start walking back to the Argo II. Maybe I can start combining the elevators today. That should only take a few days to complete.

"So, what's going on?" Piper says. I almost jump. She's right behind me and I never noticed.

"Nothing really. How are you and Jason doing?" I question.

She sighs before responding. "Good, I guess. He says most of his memories are back."

"That's great," I say, truly meaning it.

The sky has already turned dark. None of the campers are at any of the training activates. Everybody is curled up in their bed, reading a book or playing cards with the other kids in their cohort. Whatever they're doing, they're relaxing, not worrying about a thing. Living the good life.

I start to compare Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood and realize that they have a lot of the same characteristics. Why don't they get along? I mean, so what if Camp Half-Blood is filled with Greeks? Who cares if Camp Jupiter is for Roman demigods? I don't see why they haven't put aside their problems and worked together before now, and even now they still don't trust us.

I excuse myself from Piper, telling her how to get into the Argo II, and walk towards the forest. Why am I going into the forest? I truthfully don't know; I just have this gut feeling to go exploring. Lately, I've trusted my gut a whole lot more and I've been learning more in exchange.

I stop at the edge of the forest. Where should I go? I feel like an idiot but I close my eyes and think for a moment. In that moment, I hear something. It sounds like… sobbing? Yes. It sounds like somebody crying. But who would be in the woods crying at night? I know that in the forest of Camp Half-Blood there are some pretty dangerous animals so why wouldn't the Romans have Leo-eating creatures too?

I hesitate, but finally put one foot in front of the other and head to my left. I walk slowly and quietly, as to not alert anybody/anything around me that a teenage boy is walking through the woods alone at night. It doesn't help that the temperature has seemingly dropped fifty-or so-degrees in the last minute.

Sure enough, the sound of crying gets louder, but it still isn't very loud at all. Whoever is crying is trying to hide it, I presume. I strain my ears a little more and confirm my thoughts; it's a girl.

So, there's this girl, sobbing, in the forest alone at night.

I peer around a tree and my heart stops. It's Reyna, leaning against a tree with her head in her hands. I blink a couple times, trying to solidify the image in my mind. Reyna, the ever-strong leader, is crying?

I'm pretty sure she doesn't want anybody to find out about this. Being respectful, I decide to leave but as soon as I take one step, she stops crying. I can feel her eyes on my back.

I turn around. If looks could kill, I would've been dead a couple seconds ago. Reyna is glaring daggers at me.

"What do you think you're doing out here?" She asks, angrily. Tears have stopped falling but her eyes are red and puffy.

"I was exploring," I say softly. I wish I knew what was wrong with her. Then I could say something to make her feel better.

She nods her head and looks like she's going to burst into tears again. I am tempted to run over and hug her but that would probably get me a knife to my throat.

Reyna sits back down and stares at a pile of leaves on the ground by her feet.

I gather up some wood and place it a few feet away from Reyna. She doesn't look up once. I start trying to make a fire by rubbing two blocks of wood together but then give up and use my powers. A fire is crackling safely in front of Reyna, warming her up.

I go and sit next to her. I can tell she wants me to leave but I can't. I need to figure out what's wrong.

"So, what's up?" I say.

Reyna doesn't respond. She doesn't acknowledge my presence. I press on, though, determined to get to the bottom on things.

"What's wrong?"

Still no answer from Reyna. Then, it crosses my mind what might be bothering her.

"It's Jason, isn't it?" I say so softly I'm not even sure she can hear me. But, she winces when I say Jason's name so I guess she heard it.

"The best thing to do is to get over it. Accept defeat. It'll turn out much better in the end," I advise Reyna. Immediately, I feel proud. That was probably the best advice I've given to anyone, _ever_. Piper would be so proud of me.

"That's lousy advice," Reyna says.

"What?" I say, hurt. "I thought that was some pretty good advice right there. I'm so used to advising Piper I think I got the hang of it. Or, I _thought_ I got the hang of it."

Reyna smirks then turns to look me straight in the eyes. I almost gasp. I've never looked directly into her eyes before. They're a beautiful golden-brown.

"Never, ever, accept defeat, Leo Valdez," she says and my heart gives a little leap, hearing her say my full name.

"But, in this case you should," I defend my case. "Jason's moved on, so you should t-"

I'm interrupted by Reyna pulling her dagger out from her belt and tackling me to the ground.

"Stay out of my business," she says, putting her knife to my throat. Man, this girl is a tough as nails.

I hold my hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay," I say.

She releases me and we go back to sitting side-by-side in front of the campfire. I'm thankful for the fire because it is starting to get really cold out her.

"So, ReyRey, what should we talk about then if we can't talk about your feelings?"

"ReyRey?" Reyna smirks once again, turning towards me and raising one eyebrow.

"Uh-uh," I nod and she rolls her eyes.

We stay quiet for a minute or two before she speaks again. The only sound besides our breathing is the fire popping and crackling.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I just hate... feeling confused," she confesses to me.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I knew you wouldn't kill me anyways," I say.

"And why wouldn't I kill you?" she asks, obviously confused.

"Because you love me too much," I say, smug.

Her mouth widens in shock and she turns to look at the fire again.

"I don't love anyone, Fire Boy," she argues, but she sounds uncertain.

No words are spoken again from that point on. Eventually, Reyna gets tired and goes back inside, but I stay out all night, staring at the fire. Even though Reyna said she doesn't love anybody, I think somewhere, deep down, she loves me too.

**A/N: Aww! Did you guys notice how Leo said, "...loves me _too_." ? That means he must already love her... Okay, elevators are not what you're thinking! Elevators are a part in an airplane that stablize the plane. So, they're pretty important. And they're broken on the Argo II.**

**Okay, well thanks for reading! Please review! All reviews are welcome! I love to hear your suggestions and comments.**


	5. Training

**A/N: Before I begin, I would like to thank all of you that have been reading and reviewing on this story. Thanks so much for the awesome comments, guys! I love all of you :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO of HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 5- Reyna's POV

Only six more days until the seven start their quest to tackle Gaea down. Six more days until Leo leaves me and all the rest of the Camp Jupiter.

I'm not sure if I should feel sorrow or joy when I think that thought. I should feel joy because he's off to defeat Gaea. Some part of me says that I should be sad because I'll miss him. I hate to admit it, but he's growing on me. I've just never met someone like him before so I'm taking my time getting used to him. The more and more I get to know him, I start to like him more. Like him as a friend- I mean.

Moving on.

I'm thinking of maybe asking-

"Reyna?" My thoughts are interrupted by none other than Percy Jackson himself. My life has changed so much since he's been in it. No, I'm not trying to sound romantic or anything-I'm just stating the facts. Before Percy came, I had Jason as a fellow-praetor and a mostly normal life at Camp Jupiter.

I get up out of my comfortable chair where I was sitting, looking at the sky and thinking.

"I think we should have a council meeting about those plans we were looking at earlier," Percy says. Even though he's Greek, he's very smart and ready to go into action.

"Sure," I respond and he leaves. For some reason, I was trying to delay having a meeting. Actually having a meeting reassures the fact that Leo's leaving in my mind. But why am I so torn up about Leo leaving? I mean, I've sent other campers on normal quests before and not worried as much as I am now. But I guess Leo isn't just any other camper and this isn't just any other quest. That's my excuse to be sad.

Wait a second! Did I just say that 'Leo isn't just any other camper?' Maybe my feelings are stronger than I think they are.

…

I'm waiting… where's my freak-out? My mental breakdown? The old Reyna would've completely flipped out when she said her feelings for a guy are 'more than friends.' That's what I did with Jason. I didn't let him get close to me even though I liked him. Notice how I didn't say '_love_d Jason.' That's because I've never loved anybody and I never will.

I've changed so much in the last year it's crazy how different I am than before. Maybe that's why Jason doesn't like me anymore.

But I'm tough and I'm strong and I'm over Jason, just like Leo advised last night. I hate to admit it, but his advice was really good. Of course, I'm not going to tell him that because that would ruin my pride and enlarge his.

I walk into the council room and see almost everybody important sitting at our huge wooden table. I chuckle silently when I see the scars of knives on wood from previous meetings in this room.

"Praetor! We are almost ready to start the meeting!" Octavian says to me as I take my seat at the head of the table.

I sigh. Octavian gets on my nerves really easily. I only keep him around because he would be a terrible enemy. He is way more vicious than you think.

I glance around and see that we are missing two of the seven.

"Octavian, who all isn't here yet?" I ask him.

Octavian thinks for a moment but before he can answer my question, Piper and Leo walk in, laughing about something hilarious. A pang of jealousy shoots through me.

"There they are, Praetor," Octavian sneers. "_Graecus_!"

I scold him. "The Greeks aren't our enemies anymore. As much as I hate it, that's the truth." Octavian frowns. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to run," I say and he scampers off.

"Attention!" I say loudly. Piper and Leo stop laughing and I glare at them before continuing. "I have some plans I want to look over and discuss with you."

Percy, who is sitting right next to me, pulls out the maps and spreads them on the tables.

"Now, if you'll look here-" Percy begins, pointing at the first map that's covered in my handwriting, but Leo interrupts.

"You'll see a mustard stain."

Piper starts snickering like that was the funniest joke in the entire world and Leo grins widely. Percy just rolls his eyes and continues talking but I'm not listening to a word he says. Why was Piper laughing so hard? Leo's jokes aren't that funny. Well, I hate to admit it but some of them are, but most definitely not that one! And the way that they walked in together makes me uncomfortable.

I'm not used to these feelings of… attraction (if that's the right way to put it) so I guess I'm naturally going to feel jealous when Leo spends time with another girl. Truthfully, Leo and I haven't actually spent much time together. I wonder if we should spend more time together. I mean, I would like that, but would he?

Of course he would! I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't turn down an offer to go and do something with me. The real question is what should we do together? I'm not really enjoying all the meetings where we share our deep feelings with each other. We should have some good, legit, innocent fun.

_Fun_. That word sounds foreign in my thoughts. I've never done something just for fun before. It's usually just training, training, and more training. Is there a way to incorporate fun and training together so I don't lose touch of the old Reyna?

Oh! I have the perfect idea! I'll ask Leo to spar with me! That should be fun. Of course, I'm going to kick his butt, but it will be enjoyable anyways.

I zone back in to the meeting.

"Sounds like a plan!" Jason is saying. "Smart ideas, Reyna."

"Thank you," I respond.

"Okay, then! Everybody is dismissed!" Percy claps his hands and everyone stands up and stretches. I get out of my chair and walk over to Leo, who is helping Percy collect the scrolls.

"Hey, Leo," I say calmly.

"Oh, hey Reyna! How's my little ReyRey doing?" He teases, his eyes glinting with humor and excitement.

I roll my eyes and we walk out of the room. It's another sunny day, with no clouds in the sky.

"How the Argo II coming along?" I ask, but then almost immediately regret it.

"I've gotten the rudder to fit in the gudgeon. It was pretty simple thanks to my awesome tool belt. Oh, and I've started on combining the elevators. I think it's good that I noticed that the elevators need to be combined into one stabilator. If I didn't, well, let's just say that we would be dead within a matter of minutes," Leo explains to me.

I grasp my head and say, "Ah, all the fancy words! They're hurting my head."

Leo starts laughing. "Did you just crack a joke?" He asks.

Hm. I guess I did! I can't remember the last time I told a joke. "You're rubbing off on me too much," I tell him.

At this, Leo's smile is huge.

"So, you want to go train with me? I bet I can whip you into shape before you have to leave on Saturday," I propose to Leo.

"Sure. Just a warning, though," He says. "I'm terrible with a sword and a dagger and basically any other weapon."

"You can't be that bad," I say as we walk towards the training grounds.

* * *

"Okay, forget what I said earlier. You actually _are_ that bad!" I say to Leo, who is bending down, panting. We have been training for about two hours know. I've tried every weapon possible with Leo and he just can't seem to get the hang of any of them.

"Thanks," he says sarcastically, still out of breath.

"One more round, and then we'll be done," I say to Leo. "You think you can manage that?" I smirk.

Leo stands up straight and takes the sword in his hands again. "I'm always up for a challenge."

I grab my sword and face Leo. I strike first and he barely defends it. Then I do a simple disarming move and his sword is in its rightful place- the ground. I hold my sword to his neck and grin. At this point our faces are mere inches apart. I'm mystified by his warm, brown eyes. His curly hair is deflated and in his eyes from all the exercise. Even though there is sweat on the top of his forehead, he looks irresistible.

"Reyna-91, Leo-0" I say, smirking.

"Whatever," Leo shrugs it off.

I bring my sword down but we stay close to each other.

"You can't just 'whatever' defeat, Leo. It's supposed to be instinct to want to win and be upset when you lose," I try and explain to him. I don't understand why we don't see eye-to-eye on this subject. Mostly everybody else I've met and talked to agree with me. But, once again, Leo isn't just anybody I've met and talked to.

"Sure, ReyRey," Leo laughs once again. Does this boy have any cares in the world? Scratch that, I know he does. Leo might seem giddy and trouble-free to outsiders but I can tell that he has another side to him that he doesn't show anybody. Except for me. He's showed me that side on the Argo II the other day, when I mentioned his fire abilities and he broke down. He's showed me his darker, more depressing side and that only makes me adore him more.

"Praetor! I have some awful news to tell you! A-Oh! Sorry to interrupt," Octavian strides into the training room. I blush and jump away from Leo when I finally realize how close we were. Leo turns his face away and starts to clean up some of the weapons that we tried out.

"That's okay, Octavian," I say to him.

"What have you been doing with that, that-" Octavian starts, but I say something before he insults Leo.

"What is this awful news you wish to talk to me about?" I say sternly.

"A couple of the male campers in the third cohort thought it would be funny to place trip wire around the second cohort girls' rooms," Octavian explains and Leo snorts from across the room. "Sure, it was just a little prank but can you recall one other time we've had a harmless stunt like that one pulled? That right, we've never had our campers do anything like that before. It's all because of the Greeks." Octavian lowers his voice although I'm pretty sure he wants Leo to be insulted by what he's about to say. "The Greeks are messing with our seriousness. We are losing control of even the slightest situations."

"Thanks for the news, Octavian. We'll talk about this later," I say to him and he leaves, glaring at Leo as he stalks off.

"I hate that guy," Leo says, emerging from placing the last shield in the storage room.

"Don't let him hear you saying that. Octavian might not seem like much be he's a terrible enemy to have," I warn him.

"I still hate him, though," Leo persists.

I sigh. Sometimes Leo can be really stubborn. Kind of like me, actually. The more time I spend with Leo, the more I realize that we actually have little personality quirks in common. Of course, to anyone else, they think that we are completely opposite. To Jason and Piper and Hazel and the rest, they think that Leo and I are so different that we'll never become friends.

It feels nice proving them all wrong.

"Thanks for the training, ReyRey, but I think I'll just stick to using a wrench," Leo says and opens the door. We walk outside and I realize that we missed dinner. Oops. No wonder my stomach is growling.

"I think we missed dinner," Leo says.

"No, the pavilion is just empty because everybody decided that dinner wasn't worth eating tonight," I remark.

Leo laughs as I feel my smile growing bigger. Yep, Leo Valdez is most definitely rubbing off on me. But I'm not sure that is quite a bad thing. Here I am smiling, laughing, talking with a guy about stuff other than war plans.

I'm liking the new Reyna. I can only hope that Leo does too.

**A/N: The End of Chapter 5 of Unexpected. Please review! All reviews welcome!**


	6. Flowers

**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Today is my birthday and since I like to give people gifts on my birthday, here is a new chapter for Unexpected! Enjoy:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO of HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 6- Leo's POV

I have a new goal: To make Reyna laugh. Not just a snicker or a giggle or a chuckle but a _real _laugh. One that won't stop for minutes upon minutes. Seeing as I've spent half my time on the Earth cracking jokes this shouldn't be too hard- right?

Wrong.

The thing with Reyna is she just doesn't like to laugh openly. Sure, she'll chuckle a tiny bit but I've never heard her laugh. Man, she has a serious problem opening up to people.

Of course, I'm not one to talk.

"Where were Leo and Reyna the other night?" A voice interrupts my thoughts. I am sitting on a tiny bench in Camp Jupiter's only garden. I recognize the voice as Piper's.

"I don't know," I hear another voice respond. Jason. What are they doing out in the garden gossiping about Reyna and me?

Their footsteps stop for a moment and I sink lower in my spot, as if doing so will make me more invisible.

"Is there anything going on between them?" Jason asks, lowering his voice. I have to strain my ears really hard to hear what Piper says next.

"I don't know but I doubt it. Out of all the people in the world, why would they be attracted to each other? They're polar opposites!" Piper exclaims.

"You should know, your mom's Aphrodite- I mean Venus," Jason answers.

Piper groans. "Don't remind me."

"It can't be that bad, Pipes," Jason consoles.

I should probably get going before they start making out or something. I creep quietly away from the section of the garden that they're in.

So Jason and Piper are talking about Reyna and me? Is it really that obvious that I like her? Well, probably. I've never been good at hiding my feelings for a girl. Hiding feelings about my fire curse- I got that down.

I get lost very soon and find myself in a part of the garden I've never seen before. Red flowers are everywhere. I recognize roses and tulips and that's all. The rest of the red flowers are foreign. I walk over to a flower that has a long stem and a tiny red bud at the top. The flower right next to it has already bloomed and has long petals in the shape of a star.

I wonder if anyone has ever gotten Reyna flowers before. I think she'd enjoy a simple gift like this, so I yank the red star-shaped flower up and start walking out of the garden. I've seen where the praetors live before but I've never been near the house, much less inside. I think Reyna will be there.

I shuffle my feet through the dirt. Along my way, campers are training intensely. I see one camper almost decapitate another. I recognize Percy and Annabeth racing with some Roman campers. So this is normal life at Camp Jupiter. You train all day and sleep all night. Sounds like a fun life!

That was sarcastic, for those of you that couldn't tell. Camp Jupiter sounds plain boring. Camp Half-Blood is way more fun. I don't see a rock-climbing wall with lava all over it anywhere around here.

I am so deep in my thoughts I don't notice a purple-clad figure right in front of me until I bump straight into her.

"Sorry," we both say in unison. I look up and see that the girl is Reyna. Her hair is back in its normal, flawless ponytail and she is grinning.

"Oh, hey Leo. What are you doing? Shouldn't you be working on the Argo II?" she questions.

"I was actually looking for you," I confess. "I wanted to give you this flower," I say, handing her the red flower I picked from the garden. Wow, that sounded lame.

"Why are you giving me a flower, Valdez?" she sounds suspicious.

"It's not going to hurt you or anything. Lighten up a little bit. I just got it because I thought that you would appreciate a little gift like this. Obviously you don't like it so I'll just be going now," I turn around but Reyna grabs my arm and spins me back around.

"No, sorry. I really do like this flower. It's pretty," she says. "Thanks for the gift."

It's my turn to smile now. "No problem, ReyRey."

"Sure, Fire Boy," she snarls back.

"I heard Piper and Jason talking about us," I confess. Reyna frowns and drags me away from the rest of the campers. We start walking towards the garden.

"What did they say?" she asks.

"You sound concerned," I tell her.

"Obviously I'm concerned. Now tell me!" Reyna exclaims. By now, we are inside the garden. I breathe in its peculiar smell.

"Pushy, much?" I tease.

"Yes, now_ please _tell me," Reyna pleads.

"Piper and Jason were wondering if there is…er…anything going on between us," I say, looking her straight in the eyes.

Reyna's beautiful brown eyes widen in surprise. She blushes and turns her head away. We stay quiet for a moment but still keep walking deeper and deeper into the garden.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," I say to her, breaking our _very_ awkward silence.

"No, I was just thinking. Leo…?" Reyna starts.

I gulp. "Yeah?"

"Is there… anything—?" she's interrupted by Piper and Jason coming around the corner, laughing. They stop walking when they see us.

"Hey guys!" Piper says.

"Hi," I say awkwardly.

"Well, we were obviously interrupting something so we'll catch up with you guys later," Jason says and he and Piper walk off before Reyna or I have the chance to tell them that they weren't interrupting anything.

Once they're around the corner, Reyna sits down on the closest bench and rubs her temples with her fingers.

I sit down next to her and say, "Well that was awkward."

Reyna lets out a small laugh. "No duh, Valdez."

"What were you going to ask me earlier?" I question.

Reyna blushes a tiny bit. "Oh, yeah, that. Don't worry about it," she says offhandedly.

I raise one eyebrow at her. "Come on, you can ask me anything," I prompt.

She sighs and then raises her hand and points at something. "Look, over there." My eyes look in the direction she's gesturing to. "There's a blue flower in the middle of all the yellow ones."

"I see that," I tell her. The blue flower looks oddly out of place in the field of yellow flowers. I wonder if it grew there on accident. It probably did, but how did the blue flower seed even get in the middle of the yellow ones?

The blue flower is also a different kind of flower than the rest of them. It's short and fat. Its petals are large and taking up a great deal of space. The yellow flowers are tall and have short, tiny petals.

"With its large petals, it seems even more out of place than it normally is," Reyna notes. I nod, thinking of how the blue flower is kind of like me. I've always been an outsider, an outcast. I've never really fit in with everybody else. I thought that was going to change when I went to the Wilderness School but then Piper and Jason became a couple and I was the third wheel.

"I'm similar to that blue flower," Reyna mutters, as if too embarrassed to speak up. I don't press the issue. Instead I just keep listening. "I'm different, and I hate it."

"Me too. I've always been an outcast," I find myself saying. I keep staring at the blue flower.

"I can tell," she says.

"You can?" I ask incredulous. Nobody's ever noticed my feelings before. I'm forging new territory right now.

"I know most people can't see past your defenses but I can," Reyna says proudly. I shift nervously in my seat. I decide to play the 'innocent Leo' act.

"Defenses?" I question.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Valdez," Reyna snarls back quickly. I start feeling defensive. Nobody's ever gone this… _deep_ with me before.

"Okay, what about your protective shell?" I reply.

It's Reyna's turn to feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, let's stop this. From now on, we are going to have no more secrets with each other, okay? No more hiding our feelings," Reyna says boldly.

"Deal," I say and we shake hands. Then, we both go back to staring at the blue flower, too scared to say anything more. That promise we just made scares me, but I made it anyway, just because of my feelings for Reyna.

Another part of me feels relived. I can finally trust someone. I've never really had that before. Sure, there were people I thought I could trust but with Reyna, I'm pretty sure she will never step out of line.

I smile, but not just a grin or a mischievous smile, but a truly happy smile. I look over at Reyna and see she is doing the same. Once she notices that I'm staring at her, she punches my arm and says, "You're starting to rub off on me. I've never smiled this much before in my whole life. It's sickening."

"Completely terrible, isn't it?" I play along.

This earns me another punch.

"I'm supposed to go and fight Gaea in a few days. You should stop abusing me; I'm going to need all the strength I'm can get," I tell her.

Reyna just rolls her eyes. "So, now that we're friends who have agreed to tell each other everything, shouldn't I at least know about your family and background and all that?"

"I suppose so," I say glumly. "But you go first."

She gives me a glare and then begins; "As you already know, my mother is a war goddess. I have a sister named Hylla. She is the leader of the Amazons," Reyna chuckles, as if remembering something. "She would hate you."

"Oh, would she? And why is that?" I ask.

"You two would _not _get along at all," she just repeats. "Moving on, well, my favorite color is red… I guess."

"I guess?"

"I don't know what else to tell you about myself!" she exclaims.

"True," I agree. "It is kind of awkward just saying it all at once like this."

Reyna shrugs. "Your turn."

I take a deep breath and begin; "My dad is Hephaestus, well, Vulcan to you."

Reyna says something before I can continue, "Isn't he the god in your Greek tales that was cast down from Olympus because he was a reject?"

"Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, Reyna," I say sarcastically.

She winces. "Sorry, I just wanted to get my facts straight. Continue, please."

"My mom… I really don't want to talk about her Reyna. Maybe I'll tell you another day, okay?" I say, closing my eyes in frustration. Man, this whole 'opening up' thing is harder than I thought it was going to be.

Reyna puts her hand on my shoulder sympathetically. I open my eyes to see her looking straight back into mine. The intense glare in her chocolate-colored eyes has softened.

"Sorry, I guess there are certain subjects that are the hardest to talk about," she apologizes. "Trust me, I have some too, you just haven't asked about them."

This makes me smile. "Oh, really? Does little ReyRey not want to talk about Jason?" I tease her.

She scowls and right as she's about to say something, the dinner bell sounds.

"Let's go!" I exclaim happily. I love spending time with Reyna but I need my burger and milkshake.

Reyna rolls her eyes as I practically drag her out of the garden. Once she's finished resisting me, I don't stop holding her hand. It feels like a gesture of friendship as compared to more. But, I'm guessing Reyna is pleased because she doesn't take her hand away, even when people give us skeptical glances.

Even though I didn't get Reyna to laugh, today has been amazing. I'm starting to dread the day when I have to leave her. Of course, the Argo II could "magically" stop working and we could be delayed another week or so but I wouldn't do that. We need to stop Gaea. This week of waiting has been killing me because every second we waste, she grows stronger.

It's going to be torture to leave Reyna. But, if everything turns out well, I'll see her again. And if everything goes wrong… I don't want to think of that.

"Leo?" Reyna's familiar voice drags me out of my thoughts. I start a little because she scared me. Reyna snickers. "You're such an idiot."  
"Thanks," I say sarcastically.

"But you're _my_ idiot so it's okay," she says and then blushes, realizing what she just said implies that we are way more than 'just friends.'

"Last one to the eating pavilion has to kiss Octavian!" I scream, trying to lighten the mood from Reyna's comment, and take off running for the dining area with Reyna close behind me.

**A/N: Awww :) Leyna! Okay, well thanks for reading. Please review! All reviews are welcome!**


	7. A Game

**A/N: This is my personal favorite chapter so far! Bring on the Leyna :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 7- Reyna's POV

"Let's play a game!" Percy suggests. He looks over at all of us, munching on our lunch. It's (yet another) sunny and warm day. Hazel, Percy, Piper, Annabeth, Frank, Jason, Leo and I are sitting down, taking a lunch break from hours of hard training.

"Sure," Annabeth says.

"What game?" Hazel questions.

"Oh! I know!" Jason exclaims. I roll my eyes. Here we are, taking a break from training when we should be pushing ourselves harder than ever in training. Everybody seems to be a little care-free and giddy today.

I despise it.

At least I convinced my friends to train this morning when all they wanted to do was to jump in the lake and swim. But playing a game, I will not allow. This is getting out of hand. I mean, they are going to fight Gaea in a few days! They need all the training they can get.

I open my mouth to say something but then quickly close it. How stupid can I be? I'm sitting with the seven from the Prophecy. They are advanced beyond my levels. So why would they take orders from a simple Praetor like myself?

Jason starts talking about a good idea for a game he has. I excuse myself to go sulk in the woods. I can tell that Leo is upset I'm leaving but did he really think _I_ out of all people am going to play a _game_?

I take out my dagger and start to throw it at the tree that I always do. Escaping like this into the forest helps. I'm always constantly being presented with issues that I'm supposed to take care of as soon as I possibly and humanly can. Being a Praetor is tiring.

I remember the first time I came out here. I had just been appointed Praetor and I was sick of Octavian already. I slithered out of his watch and sprinted for the forest. Why the forest? Because trees conceal my body so nobody knows that I'm here.

As soon as I got into the forest, I threw my knife at a tree in frustration. The _Whack! _the blade produced made me feel better so I got my knife out of the tree and threw it again. It's like therapy to me. So, I come out here whenever I can't take life at Camp Jupiter.

I also remember when I saw Leo out here. That was only a few days ago, now to think about it. As I throw my knife at the tree I wonder why he was out here. Maybe he was feeling pressured about the Prophecy. Or perhaps he was thinking about his mom. He didn't tell me about her yesterday but I can tell that somehow she died in a way that's particularly bothering to Leo. So I didn't press the issue.

The sound of leaves being murdered by the soles of somebody's shoes reaches my ears. I grip my knife and turn to face my attacker.

"Reyna?" Behind me, Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel stand. All of them are out of breath and looking at me curiously.

"Hey," I say calmly. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"Playing a game that Jason likes to call 'War.' It's boys versus girls," Hazel explains.

"Okay, have fun," I say and turn around, preparing to throw my knife again at the tree.

"Okay, Hazel you go that way and Piper and I will go this way," I hear Annabeth say.

_Whack!_ My blade hits the tree. I hear Hazel scamper off towards the woods to my left. I retrieve my blade and see Piper and Annabeth leaning against trees, whispering.

I throw my knife a few more times into the tree but eventually the awkwardness between me and Annabeth and Piper gets so thick, I could slice through it with my dagger. So, doing the normal Reyna thing, I say, "Well, I'll be going now. Good luck."

"No!" Piper jumps up and drags me over to Annabeth. "We need you to help us win this game."

"Piper?" Annabeth says, confused, but then a look of comprehension dawns on her face. "Ohh! Yes!" she says to Piper. Then she turns to me, "Please Reyna?"

I consider my options. I can either say no and go around and do my Praetor duties. Or, I can say yes and help them win their stupid game. The first option sounds like the wiser decision. I am a Praetor and I need to fulfill my job.

"Sure, I'll help you," I find myself saying. Dang it! Leo is rubbing off on me too much!

"Okay, we probably have a couple of minutes to explain the game to you, so I'll do that. There are two teams," Annabeth starts, "and the point of the game is to capture the 'Captain' of each team. Our Captain is Piper," she gestures towards Piper, "The boys' team Captain is Leo. Don't ask me why they chose him.

Anyway, whoever captures the other team's Captain and keeps him/her under their control for five minutes wins. So, we need to capture Leo and hold him hostage for five minutes. After that, we win the game!"

Piper and Annabeth look at me expectantly after giving me a minute to take everything in. "So, where do I come in?" I ask.

"We need to capture Leo and what better way than to do that by using his girlfriend to lure him into our grasp," Piper says and I blush.

"I'm not his girlfriend!" I snap.

Annabeth and Piper both give each other knowing glances. "Suuuuure, Reyna. Whatever you say. We can all tell that you will be his girlfriend soon if you're not already," Piper tells me, matter-of-factly. This only makes me blush even more.

"So, Reyna, here's what you're going to do," Annabeth gets the conversation back on the right track again. "We want you to just stay right here and continue doing whatever you were just doing. The forest is fairly small so Leo is going to stumble across us at one point. Piper and I will be waiting in ambush. You need to talk to him and lower his guard."

"Flirt with him, not just talk," Piper adds.

"At the least suspecting moment, we'll jump in and tackle Leo. I think we're going to be able to handle him but get your knife ready just in case," Annabeth chuckles.

"Okay," I say and we all stand up, getting ready to get into our positions. But, I suddenly notice a flaw in their plan. "Wait! What if one of the other boys is accompanying Leo? I can't exactly seduce two boys at once," I point out.

"Oh, don't worry. Leo is going to be alone. We overheard them planning," Piper reassures me.

I watch as Annabeth hides behind a tree to my right and Piper on a tree to my left. Then, I go back to throwing my knife at the tree. How am I going to flirt with Leo? Considering the fact that I've never flirted with a guy _once_ in my entire life, this is going to be a challenge.

I like challenges. I like to push myself to new limits. I never expected that I would be doing something like this before, but, whatever. I'm Reyna, Praetor of Camp Jupiter. I can handle this.

_Whack!_

My knife hits the tree perfectly. Before I can retrieve it, another dagger goes sailing past the tree, missing it by a couple of inches. I spin around to find Leo standing behind me. His curly hair is messier than ever and his brown eyes are gleaming with excitement. My heart speeds up.

"Nice aim, Fire Boy," I smirk. I walk over to the tree but continue our conversation. "So, how's the game going? You winning?"

"Good," he replies, walking towards me. "It's hard to tell who's winning in this game that we're playing."

I hand him back his knife and he leans against the tree I use as my target.

"So, what's it with you and throwing blades at trees?" he questions.

I laugh. "What's it with you and being so irresistible?" I try flirting. I'm pretty sure I'm failing miserably right now.

Leo smirks. "Oh, ReyRey, when are you finally going to admit that you love me?"

"I don't love anybody," I say without thinking. Oops! I can practically hear Piper and Annabeth mentally cussing me out right now. But, Leo doesn't make a huge deal of it.

"What's not to like?" he brags.

It's my turn to smirk. "For starters, your hair is always messy."

"Which most girls think is hot," Leo counters.

I pretend not to hear him. "And you are in love with practically every girl you see so let's say I do like you, then how do I know you're going to be committed?"

"You just said you liked me." Is it my imagination or are we getting closer?

I just ignore him and continue like nothing ever happened, "Plus, you aren't funny, no matter what you think. Other people think your jokes are good but I think they're lame."

"Hey!" Leo protests. It's undeniable that we are way too close right now but neither of us backs away.

"Lastly, you're amazing personality is rubbing off on me," I finish.

"That sounded like a compliment," Leo says. At this point, I am mere inches away from his face.

"Oops." I say and lean in to kiss him. Right as our lips are about to touch, Annabeth and Piper jump out from their hiding spots and tackle Leo to the ground. Perfect timing. Just _perfect!_ Leo is caught off guard and even though he is still holding his knife, the girls remove it from his grasp quickly.

"Hey! No fair!" Leo protests while Annabeth and Piper are tying him up. He tries squirming out of their grasp but they've got him good. "That's cheating."

I start laughing hysterically at the expression on Leo's face. I double over, cracking up. My whole body shakes with laughter. I've never laughed this crazily before.

"Thanks, Reyna," Annabeth says once I calm down.

"Only three more minutes to go!" Piper exclaims.

Leo shoots me a death glare. "Thanks, Reyna," he repeats what Annabeth said a few seconds ago.

I just stand there, smirking at Leo.

"So, since we have a couple of minutes to kill, let's chat Reyna," Piper says with a devious smile upon her face. Uh-oh…

"Bye!" I say, turning around and walking away. When Piper has that type of smile on her face, be scared.

"No, you're not getting away that easily," Piper grabs my arm and drags me back towards Leo and Annabeth. Leo is tied to a tree and I hate to say it but he looks cute with his arms being restrained and his legs bound together.

I sigh. "I'm done helping you so why can't I leave now?"

"Because we want to have a talk about your feelings for Leo," Piper says and Leo's eyes widen. I back away slowly but before I know it, my knife is being ripped out of my hands and Annabeth is tying my arms together.

I struggle but it doesn't help. How could I let myself get in this situation?

"One more minute 'till we win the game," Annabeth says as she ties me to the same tree as Leo. We are so close I'm practically sitting in his lap. Of course, I'm not complaining.

"We sit in silence until Piper starts a countdown. "Five… four… three… two… one!"

"Game over!" Annabeth punches the air. "Girls win!"

"Now that you guys won, would you mind untying me?" Leo asks.

Piper and Annabeth glance at each other. "Nah, we'll leave you and Reyna there for a while. Don't worry; we'll come back before dark. But, you two can just sit there and talk for the next few hours!" Annabeth explains.

"You tricked me!"

"Get used to the feeling, ReyRey," Leo smirks.

Annabeth and Piper walk away, chuckling to themselves.

How am I going to survive bound to a tree next to Leo for the next couple hours?

**A/N: I guess that's what you call a cliff-hanger... ;) Well, please review! All reviews are welcome! The next chapter is coming soon.**


	8. First Kiss

**A/N: Chapter 8 is up! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 8- Leo's POV

One decision. One "yes" changed my day. I decided to play Jason's game that he calls 'War' and here I am now, bound to a tree besides Reyna. Of course, I'm not going to complain since I get to spend more time with Reyna. But I can do without being tied to a tree.

Reyna and I almost kissed a couple of minutes ago. I don't know if she was just doing that to trick me. I can't tell because she teamed up with Annabeth and Piper to help them win War, but I'm pretty sure she has feelings for me. I mean, who wouldn't like me, the totally awesome Leo?

I have to find out if she was telling the truth. If not, I'll be crushed. She was full-on flirting with me about five minutes ago. I really felt a spark between us. It's crazy how much I like her. I can only hope she feels the same way.

"Well this sucks," I begin.

Reyna gives me a 'no-freaking-duh' look. "Figured that one out, did ya' Valdez?"

"Is there any way you can maneuver so you can untie me?" I ask. If we can untie each other, Piper and Annabeth's plan will have been outsmarted.

Reyna struggles against her bonds, trying to move her hands closer to mine. The closest we can get is our fingertips touching. I should've known that we can't outsmart Annabeth.

Reyna 'humphs!' in frustration. A single strand of hair comes undone from her ponytail and falls in her face. I laugh as she tries to blow it out of her way.

Oh! That reminds me of something! I succeeded in my goal of making Reyna laugh for real. She was cracking up when she watched Annabeth and Piper tie me up. Sure, I didn't tell a joke, but Reyna was laughing at me and that counts, right? Well, I think it counts. My goal is complete.

"Why do you look so pleased with yourself?" Reyna questions.

"Oh, nothing," I say dismissively. After a pause, I say, "Truthfully, I can't think of a better way to spend my afternoon than being tied to a tree."

"And why is that?"

"Because I get to spend it with you," I say sweetly. Reyna's cheeks flush and she looks away.

"How's the Argo II coming along?" Reyna changes the topic.

"Great, we should be ready to leave in two days." I answer her question but then tease her by saying, "Does little ReyRey not want to talk about her secret admiration for the amazingly awesome Leo?"

Reyna snorts. "Amazingly awesome, yeah right!"

"Reyna?" I say softly, changing the mood of the conversation.

"Yes?"

I gather up my courage and say, "Do you mean what you said earlier?"

Reyna looks me straight in the eyes and I can see the love in her eyes, even if she won't admit it. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. I hope I'm not imagining it. "Yeah, I do. I don't regret anything that I said."

My heart does a victory leap. "Then you will enjoy this," I say and lean down and kiss her. Her lips taste sweet, like vanilla. Reyna closes her eyes in pleasure and softly kisses me back. The kiss isn't intense but instead short and sweet. We break away (too soon for my taste) and Reyna lays her head on my shoulder. I wish I have my arms free so I can wrap them around her.

We sit in silence for a while until I talk again. "Reyna, I think I remember something that you might regret from our conversation earlier," I recall.

Reyna lifts her head off my shoulder. "Oh yeah?"

"You said that you don't love anybody."

She just smirks at me. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Fire Boy." She kisses me on the lips softly and then goes back to resting her head on my shoulder.

* * *

I'm not one for naps but if I'm bound to a tree all afternoon, I might as well take one. And that's what I did. Until now. Until I start to hear the voices of none other than Annabeth and Piper.

"Haha, I wonder what they've been doing since we last saw them," I hear Annabeth say. Their footsteps are getting close. I shake my shoulder to try and wake Reyna up. Apparently she fell asleep too.

"Pssst, Reyna! Wake up," I whisper to her. Her eyes flutter open and she has the cutest dazed expression on her face.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Piper says. I can see them now, which means they can see us. As soon as I make eye contact with Annabeth, the two girls come rushing towards us. I try my best to send them a death glare.

"Hey, Leo. Hey, Reyna," Piper greets us with a demonic smile.

"Hello to you too. How have you guys been? It seems forever since we last saw you!" Reyna says, fake-sweetly.

Annabeth snickers and starts to cut the rope binding our hands, then our waists, then our feet. I rub my sore wrists. Reyna, on the other hand, lunges at Annabeth once she's done untying her feet. Reyna tackles Annabeth and somehow manages to get Annabeth's own knife to her throat. Annabeth gasps, surprised.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again or you'll wish you were never born," Reyna snarls. Is it crazy that I think that she looks hot while giving someone a death threat?

Before Annabeth can respond or Piper can do anything about the situation, Reyna leaps off Annabeth and scampers away. I go over and help Annabeth up.

"Thanks," she says.

"Your girlfriend's got quite the temper there," Piper states.

Piper's comment aggrivates me for some reason.

"Bye," I tell the two girls. It's my turn to storm off now. I'm becoming more like Reyna every day.

I decide that I don't want to talk to everybody at the moment, so my feet lead me towards the Argo II. It should be done by the day after tomorrow. We can head out to Greece on that day also. It looks the same as always, with its bronze shields, billowing sails, and Festus's head leading the ship.

The only difference between today and normal is that a dark-headed figure is leaning against the side of the ship. I recognize her immediately. It's Reyna. What is she doing here?

When she notices me, she starts walking towards me.

"Couldn't stay away from me for that long, could ya'?" I tease.

"Haha, you wish. But you're back before I thought you would. You didn't stay and chat with our captors?" Reyna asks.

"No," I respond. "I pulled a Reyna and stormed off."

"I don't storm off," Reyna huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. The little strand of her ponytail that was bothering her before has come back.

I laugh and tuck the loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Whatever you say, ReyRey."

"So you sleep on the ship?" Reyna changes the topic.

"Yeah," I reply. "Piper too."

Is it my imagination or do I see some jealously in Reyna's eyes?

"Oooh, is that jealousy I sense?"

"You wish," Reyna says, punching my arm. "Well, I guess I should go since you need to work on the ship and all," she says and walks off.

I call out behind her, "What? No kiss goodnight?"

Reyna turns around, sticks her tongue out at me and then continues walking away.

I lower the platform but before I can walk onto the ship, Piper calls out from behind me, "Leo! Wait!"

I turn around and see Piper sprinting towards me. "Hey," I wave at her, but then remember that I probably should be mad at her since she tied me to a tree and left me there for the afternoon. Eh, whatever. I forgive people easily and try not to hold grudges.

"You going to go work on the ship?" Piper asks once she reaches me.

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?" I question.

"No, just wondering…" Piper trails off and then walks up on board and sits down on the couch. Yes, the Argo II has a couch. I made sure this baby was loaded full of couches, fridges, tvs and everything else we might need.

I climb on board too but instead of relaxing on the couch, I head to the repair room. As usual, its 100 degrees, but the heat doesn't bother me. The room is the size of a normal bathroom, so it's pretty small. On the right wall there is a desk littered with tools and papers. On the left wall there are all the switches and controls for the Argo II.

I get lost in my work, tinkering with the switches, trying to make everything work again. Hours pass as the Argo II gets progressively better and better. By the time I'm done, there's little left for me to do tomorrow. I check my watch. 1:00 am. Wow! Did I really just work on my ship for that long?

I settle down in my room, but as soon as I close my eyes to fall asleep, I know I won't be able to. Too much has happened for my mind to calm down. I go through the list of events that took place yesterday; training in the morning, playing a game and being tied to a tree with Reyna in the afternoon, and working on the Argo II for the entire evening. I have to say, the best part was spending time with Reyna.

Reyna. Just thinking of her sends chills running through my body. When we kissed earlier today- er, I guess it would be yesterday since it's 1:00 am- I felt like I was going to die of happiness.

Great! Now I _really _can't fall asleep. Every time I close my eyes I see Reyna's long dark hair and gorgeous face. Corny, I know, but I'm convinced Reyna is my soul mate. That's how much I love her.

I get out of bed and walk outside. Unlike Camp Half-Blood, the Romans don't have flesh-eating demotic chicken-ladies patrolling the cabins at night. I wander around Camp, admiring all the details I can't during the day.

As I walk, I think about how Reyna won't admit to loving anybody. I mean, come on, there's got to be somebody in her life that she loves. What about her sister, Hylla? It's instinct to love your family members.

I'm convinced that there's somebody she loves in this world. Even if it's not me, she _has_ to love someone. I'm going to confront her about that tomorrow.

Tomorrow we can leave on the Argo II after I finish just a few more tiny things. That's sooner than I predicted. It's going to be a long tortuous time without Reyna. I know that it'll be the same for her.

I don't like to think about death, but out here in the dark it seems closer than ever. What happens if I die fighting Gaea? I swallow hard. I might not live to reach my next birthday. How sad is that?

At this point in my past-midnight wandering, I reach the house where the Praetors live. In the dark, the bushes leading to the front door look menacing. If I squint my eyes, I can see the front window. On the window sill, a tall red flower sits in a vase. That's my flower! The one I gave to Reyna.

My watch tells me that it's 1:57 am. I should really be heading to bed now. I'm going to need all the energy I can get for fighting Gaea. I walk back to the Argo II. The idea of "delaying" the ship another day seems nice right now. I could have more time with Reyna.

No! I can't let my heart get to my head. I'll finish up the Argo II's repairs tomorrow and we'll head off to Greece. Just like planned.

Reyna wouldn't give me a goodnight kiss yesterday but hopefully today she'll give me a goodbye kiss.

**A/N: I had the biggest debate with my brother after I was done with this chapter on how old Leo is. Your thoughts? Tell me in a review! Oh, and I'll be giving a BIG shout-out to all that've reviewed on my story in the A/N in the last chapter of this story. So review if only for that reason! All reviews are welcome! :)**


	9. Early Morning

**A/N: I've decided how long this FanFiction is going to be: 16 Chapters. I made a little plan the other day of what's going to happen in each chapter. This chapter has a LOT of fluff in it so be ready;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 9- Reyna's POV

I wake up to the sound of somebody noisily coming in my house. They open the door and yell, "Time to wake up, ReyRey!"

I groan. I don't want to be bothered by a certain, attractive, curly-haired repair boy this early in the morning. I roll over onto my stomach and bury my face into the pillows. Surely Leo has enough respect to not see the Praetor in her pajamas.

My bedroom door opens. I should've known better. This is Leo we're talking about. He sits on the edge of the bed and says, "Wow, you look hot in your pajamas!"

I grab one of my many pillows and smack him with it. Then I lay back down on my stomach. For some reason, I don't have the urge to get up and face the day. Ugh! Leo is rubbing off on me so much! The old Reyna wouldn't have allowed herself a lazy start to the day like this.

I've got to stop thinking about the old Reyna. She disappeared long ago. I'm actually sort of glad that I've changed. I've had so much more happiness and fun in my life after Leo came.

Leo lies down next to me and sighs contently. I kick him in the shins, trying to get him off my bed. Leo doesn't budge.

"Go away, Leo," I say, kicking him again. He just laughs and wraps his arms around me.

"I'm pretty good right here," he says as I flip myself over so I'm lying on my back.

As comfortable as it is in his warm embrace, duty calls. I make a move to get up from the bed but Leo's arms tighten around me.

"Leo…" I growl. "Let me go this instant!" I demand but once again, Leo doesn't move.

"I'm the Praetor! I can have you in big trouble for thi-" I start but Leo interrupts.

"What are you going to do, Praetor?" Leo mocks me. "Have Octavian stab me while you watch, laughing? Tie me to the back of a plane and send me halfway across the country?" he pauses, letting me sink it all in. "Kiss me?" he adds.

"I might have to take you up on that last offer," I murmur as I press my lips to his. Immediately, a warm fuzzy feeling spreads from my lips all the way to my toes. If kissing Leo feels this good, I want to do this for every day of the rest of my life. I note how I can't think of a taste to describe Leo's lips. They're just _spicy_.

As we break away, I take advantage on Leo's momentary weakness and jump out of bed before he can stop me.

"Ha!" I triumphantly exclaim.

Leo glares at me. I go into my bathroom and start to brush my teeth, very aware of Leo's presence. He leans against the door frame to my bathroom and watches me. I'm pretty sure I look like a mess, with my hair in knots and wearing only ratty gray pajamas, but he stares at me as if I'm the most interesting and entertaining thing in the world.

"We're going to be able to leave today," he says after a while.

I finish brushing my teeth and look at him. "So soon?" I try to appear calm about it but on the inside I am freaking out. Already? Well, I knew it was bound to happen any day now. But, I still feel… unprepared, if that makes sense.

"Yeah, I fixed the Argo II before I expected myself to. I'm just so awesome my own mind can't even predict what I'll do next," Leo brags. I roll my eyes and happen to glance over his shoulder and out the window. It's still dark outside.

"Why did you wake me up so early?" I question, changing the topic dramatically.

Leo fiddles with something in his pocket. "I, uh, wanted to have more time with you before I left," he confesses. He gives me a smile.

"That's sweet," I say and go over towards him. "Now go wait outside. I'm going to get dressed," I shut the door.

I waltz into my bedroom once I'm done dressing myself in my Praetor's outfit and steal a glance at the clock. It reads: _5:45 am._

5:45! I know he wants to spend time with me but waking me up before six o'clock in the morning is unbelievable. Leo is a dead man walking!

I growl murderously as I storm out of my house. Leo is lounging on a wide wooden bench in the front yard.

"Leo!" I screech. He jumps, obviously startled. Then he starts grinning like a maniac.

"Realize what time it is, ReyRey?" he smirks.

I curl my hands into fists, ready to knock the smile off his handsome face.

"I know you want to spend some time with me but did you really have to wake me up at six o'clock in the freaking morning?" I yell, probably scaring off all the innocent little birds in the vicinity.

Leo grabs my wrists before I can slap him and forces me to sit back down on the bench.

"There is seriously some-" I am cut off by his lips pressing against mine. I want to stop this kiss to yell at him some more but he wraps his arms around me protectively. I find myself kissing him back fiercely. As the kiss goes on and on and on, I realize how much I _don't _want it to stop.

Even though Leo knows I'm done being furious with him and won't try and slap him, he keeps his arms wrapped around me. I slide my arms around his neck almost unconsciously, threading my fingers through his short curls. This feels so… _right_. So perfect.

Leo pulls back eventually and starts grinning, giving me a full view of his perfect teeth. His happiness is blinding. Blinding _and_ contagious. A smile creeps up on my face before I can stop it.

I yawn, resisting the urge to stretch out my arms and legs. After all, it is very early in the morning. I lean my head against Leo's shoulder and close my eyes. His arm wraps around me, moving me closer to him.

"I might just fall back asleep right here," I say.

"Me too," Leo responds. "I didn't get to bed 'till two o'clock this morning."

"Leo!" I scold, sounding like an overprotective mother. "You got two and a half hours of sleep and you think you're ready to go fight Gaea?"

He nods uncertainly.

"Not going to happen," I tell him, matter-of-factly. I reposition us so he's lying down on the bench and I'm on the ground, leaning against it. "Try and get some sleep. Please, Leo."

"I can try," he mumbles and closes his eyes. Within a minute, he is asleep. I can't help but staring at him while he sleeps. No, I'm not a stalker, I'm just intrigued. You can't see his bright, energetic eyes and his ever-present smile is more of a scowl when he's sleeping. It makes him look more vulnerable.

His hair is an absolute mess, but that I can tell when he's awake. I can't believe I didn't notice this before, but underneath his bangs, there is a huge smear of black grease. I'm guessing it's from working on the Argo II.

I sit back down and stare at the trees and plants in my yard. I feel as if somebody just took a knife and stabbed me through the heart. Leo's going to be leaving today. To say I'm going to miss him is an understatement. I'm going to be absolutely crushed. And if Leo dies out there fighting Gaea… I can't even think about it. Tears start forming in my eyes.

Now I understand why Leo woke me up this early. It's because he might never return and he wants to spend as much time with me as possible. Gaea is older and stronger than anybody he's ever fought before. He's going to have help but can seven demigods really defeat mother earth?

Tears are falling freely down my face now. I bury my face in my hands and try not to wake Leo. When I hear a male voice saying, "Reyna," I think it's Leo. But, when I lift my head up, it's Percy. What is he doing here? I really don't want to talk to him right now.

I hastily wipe the tears off my face and stand up to greet Percy, but he sits down next to me before I can do so. He looks dashing as ever, wearing his Praetor's outfit. The sleepy look in his eyes and his ruffled hair makes me presume that he just got out of bed.

"What are you doing here?" I say, trying to make it sound like I haven't been crying.

"I live next door. I can come and say 'hi' anytime I want, right?" He smiles at me, but I glare at him. I can tell he's not telling the truth. Nobody just randomly pops in at dawn and says 'hi.'

"Okay, fine. I was lying. The truth is, I can't sleep," Percy admits, running his fingers through his dark hair, making it even messier. "I had a dream about my past and it's bothering me."

"Maybe you should go talk to someone about it. And by someone, I mean somebody other than me because I don't know your past," I advise.

"Yeah," Percy mumbles, but stays sitting right next to me. I start to feel very uncomfortable.

"No offense, but why are you still here?" I say, rudely. I realize what I just said and apologize, "Sorry, Percy. It's just that Fire Boy over here woke me up way too early for my taste."

"That's okay," Percy says. "But, why is Leo sleeping on a bench in your front yard at… seven o'clock in the morning?" he glances at his watch.

"Seven?" I say confused. Man, time flies!

Percy nods.

"Well, he woke me up around five forty-five and then we came and sat on this bench. Realizing that Leo was tired, I forced him to go back to sleep," I answer.

"So, you've just been sitting on the ground for an hour?" Percy inquires.

"No, Leo and I talked for a little bit."

Percy chuckles. "I'm pretty sure you guys did more than 'talking' but whatever."

I blush bright red and punch him the arm. He starts laughing at the expression on my face.

"Now that you've humiliated me, would you care to leave?" I say, as coldly as I can.

I watch Percy, who is still silently laughing, walk away in the direction of the rest of the camp. I think he's going to ask somebody about his memories. I stare at the bushes for about another hour before Leo wakes up.

Leo yawns widely. I turn around and see him sitting up on the bench. He pats the spot next to him and I sit down.

"Sleep well?" I ask.

"Surprisingly, yes," he answers and glances at his watch. "It's eight o'clock," he informs me.

"Breakfast should be starting soon," I say but neither of makes a move to get up.

"Reyna," Leo starts. "If I don't come back…"

I cut him off. "Don't talk like that."

"But seriously, ReyRey. If something happe-" Leo tries talking again.

"No! Leo please, don't even say it," I beg him.

He sighs, unhappy with my response, but I can't bear to hear the words 'death' and 'Leo' in the same sentence.

"I'm going to have to say goodbye eventually," Leo points out the obvious.

"Then we'll worry about it then," I reply.

I know I'm procrastinating the issue but I just can't handle it. Yes, you heard me right. The all-mighty Praetor of Camp Jupiter, Reyna, can't handle something. And delaying accepting the fact that Leo's leaving will only make it ten-times worse when we actually stumble across it. But, I'm perfectly content lying against him with his arm around my waist on this bench for the rest of my life.

**A/N: Next chapter won't be as fluffy...heads up...**

**Anyways, Thanks for reading. PLEASE review! All reviews are welcome:D**


	10. Octavian

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I love to hear from you guys :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO of HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 10-Leo's POV

_I'm going to fight Gaea._

The thought keeps running through my mind as I complete the repairs for the Argo II. I am leaving very soon to go tackle Gaea. I feel unprepared even though there is nothing more I can do to get ready. I've known this was coming for a while now. I've had time to assemble everything I'm going to need.

I'm thankful it's not only me going up against mother earth. I have six other super-powerful demigods fighting alongside me.

But still, I can't help but be nervous. My hands tremble as I tighten the last screw on the Argo, deeming it ready to go into flight. "Finished!" I shout to the world. It's not like anybody's listening to me. They're all eating lunch and packing last-minute items. And by everybody, I mean Hazel, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Frank, Percy, and Reyna. Well, Reyna isn't doing any last-minute packing. She isn't coming with us.

All this week, I've been trying to push the thought that I'm going to be separated from Reyna out of head. But now, the day that we're leaving to go on the quest, I'm having to face the facts. I've only spent a week of my life with her but I feel _terrible_ about leaving her. That's how strong of a connection we have.

It kind of scares me how much I can fall for a girl in a week's time. During school it was worse. I'd see the girl I had a crush on every single day for seven hours. The creepy thing is I remember Arianna, Summer, Kylee and all the others. I even had a crush on Piper for a little bit.

Hey! Don't kill me. I said that I 'had' a crush on Piper. That implies that I don't anymore.

Back to what I was saying before, I remember every detail imaginably about all those girls. With Summer, she wore her hair up every single day because she thought she looked ugly with it down. Finally, I convinced her to wear it down and she looked so pretty.

Kylee was a hot cheerleader. She looked at me like I was dirt under her feet. She was super hot but never paid attention to me. That's the type of girls that I like. The girls that don't pay me any attention no matter how hard I try.

Piper is drop-dead gorgeous. If Jason ever hears that, he'll murder me, but I'm just saying the truth. With her beautiful brown hair, fascinating eyes, and slim body, there was no way I wasn't going to fall for her at first. She made me feel welcome at Wilderness School.

I could keep going on about every girl I had a crush on, starting with little Tris when I was five and ending with Reyna. I loved all of them and they never loved me back. It's a hard life to live.

So, here I am now, falling for Reyna. I can only hope that our relationship actually lasts. We are going to be separated for a few weeks. What if she finds somebody else?

Wait a second… who am I kidding? Reyna wouldn't go looking for a boyfriend. She barely even opens up to me! I think she might be worried about _me_ finding another. I need to tell her that I won't. She's the only one for me.

Wow, corny much? I can't believe I just thought that. I'm hopeless.

I put all the tools I was using back into my awesome tool belt. The heat in the workroom doesn't affect me at all. Just a side effect of the fire curse that I've got.

I shudder just thinking about it. How come I, out of all people in the world, got stuck with an ability to kill hundreds upon hundreds of people? Plus the ability is cursed. Joy!

I believe I should go tell everybody that the Argo II is ready to depart. I walk towards the eating pavilion. On my way, I see various Camp Jupiter kids tossing swords around and shooting arrows at targets about fifty feet away. It's a normal day at camp for them. I wonder if they'll show up to bid us good luck and farewell. That would be kind…too kind for Romans.

I reach the table where my friends are sitting. They look up as I approach, probably knowing what I'm about to say.

"Hey, guys. The Argo II is all fixed up thanks to yours truly," I say. I get various responses from around the table. Jason nods, his face stiff. Percy looks excited, along with Annabeth who is leaning forward slightly like she can't wait to get going. Piper, Frank and Hazel all just sit there and take the news casually. Reyna tries to remain emotionless as usual but when she locks eyes with me I can see the fear and sadness.

"We can leave whenever is best for you guys," I announce.

"I think we should get going as soon as possible," Annabeth voices.

Jason nods his head in approval. "Yes. How about in two hours? That'll give us enough time to finish packing."

"The Romans will assemble then to bid you goodbyes," Reyna comments.

"Surprising. I didn't think you Romans were nice enough to do something like that for us," I say, earning glares from Reyna, Frank, and Hazel. Percy doesn't seem to care. I guess he's still a Greek at heart. Jason doesn't respond either.

"We Romans could beat you Greeks in combat any day," Reyna counters, still glaring ferociously at me.

"Hey, break it up," Annabeth says before I can say my comeback to Reyna's argument.

Reyna rolls her eyes and turns away from me.

"Well, I'm going to go make sure I packed all my stuff," Hazel says and gets up. Everybody else follows suit. Reyna stays behind and watches as they all walk in different directions. I sneak up behind her and grab her around the waist. She barely flinches, being a well-trained warrior, and instead rests back into me.

"I'm going to miss you," I confess, breathing the sweet vanilla scent of her hair.

"Me too," she says, her voice catching on the last word.

I spin Reyna around and confirm that she's indeed crying.

"I'm not crying," she says, wiping her tears off her flawless face. I hold her closer to me. I'm close to tears myself, but I'm a guy and dudes don't cry.

I put my finger under Reyna's chin, forcing her to look up at me. I stare straight into her golden-brown eyes and say, "I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just overreacting," Reyna says, her voice back to normal again.

"Reyna overreacting?" I fake gasp. "The world is coming to an end!"

She lightly punches my arm. "Shut up, Valdez."

"I'm glad to see you're back to normal. That sad part is that your version of 'normal' is beating up on your smoking hot boyfriend," I say.

Reyna smirks. "Well, you should probably go finish packing now."

"Yeah," I say pulling her close to me once again, pressing my lips against hers. I can taste the salt from her tears in the kiss but that doesn't stop me. Reyna wraps her around my neck, pulling us closer than I ever thought two people could be. Okay, I'm going to sound corny again, but her body fits so perfectly into mine.

"Praetor, I- Oops!"I hear an obnoxious sounding voice and Reyna and I pull apart reluctantly. We turn and I face none other than teddy-bear killer.

"What Octavian?" Reyna growls.

"Nothing. I'll just tell you later when you're not… _busy_," Octavian leaves as fast as he possibly can.

"I hate that guy so much," I tell Reyna for the second time.

"He is messed up," Reyna agrees with me. After kissing me lightly, she says, "Go get ready."

I head towards the Argo II when I am assaulted by Octavian. He jumps in front of me and starts shouting.

"How _dare_ you socialize with the Praetor, of all people, like that? In olden times you could be killed for such an act!"

Before he can say anymore, I interrupt, "Back in the olden days I could be killed. What are you going to do to me now? And it shouldn't be a crime to kiss Reyna."

Octavian looks absolutely appalled. "How _dare_ you speak to me this way! You _graecus _are all the same. You are rude and obnoxious-"

I cut him off with laughter. "Ever heard of a hypocrite, teddy-bear killer?"

His face gets so red with anger I'm having trouble holding in my hysterical laughter. "You watch your back! I'll get you if it's the last thing I do."

Reyna's advice about not getting on Octavian's bad side is long forgotten. "Oh, I'm so scared," I say sarcastically.

That seems to be last straw, for Octavian jumps on me so fast, I barely have time to react. He takes a swing at my face and I have just enough time to duck. He tries to kick me and fails miserably. Obviously this guy has never been in a real fight before. Sadly, I have been in several fights so I'm quite experienced with this style of fighting.

I don't want to fight this guy but I've got to get him to stop attacking me so I can tell him that. I punch Octavian in the stomach. He doubles over, gasping. "I don't want to fight you," I tell him. He nods and manages to stand back up. I try and smile at him reassuringly but as I brush past him and walk away, he punches me in the back, effectively knocking the breath out of me. I should've known Octavian would do something like that. When I turn around to tell him that I _really _don't want to fight, he smacks me right in the jaw. I feel blood run down my face.

Just then, Reyna comes running up. Hands on her hips, she demands, "What is going on?"

Octavian smirks. "Just taking care of business," he says and walks away, limping slightly.

Reyna turns to me, a murderous expression on her face. It's scary to see her like this.

"Reyna, he attacked me. I was trying to tell him that I didn't want to fight but he didn't listen," I say, gesturing to my bloody face.

"Didn't I tell you _not_ to get Octavian on your bad side?" Reyna ignores what I just said.

"Please, Reyna," I plead. "Listen to me. I was just walking and he came out of nowhere and jumped on me."

"You expect me to believe that?" Reyna questions.

I nod and Reyna sighs.

"I'm sorry he attacked you like that," she says, her expression softening.

"Don't worry about it," I say and try to grin but my mouth hurts too badly so I stop.

"Did he do that to your face?" Reyna walks up to me, concern written on her face.

"Yeah, but I'll be okay." Reyna looks like she doesn't believe me for a second. I try to smile again, this time pushing past the pain.

"I think he was just jealous," I joke but once saying the words out loud I realize how truthful they are. Maybe Octavian has a crush on Reyna…

"Haha, you wish," Reyna replies. "I hope he isn't," she shudders.

I laugh and immediately regret it because of the blinding pain that shoots through me. Man, I never knew Octavian was that strong!

"Well, I should stop distracting you from your packing. Go," she says and gives me a slight shove towards the ship. Obviously she's still a little mad about me getting into a fight with Octavian.

I climb aboard the Argo II where I am met by Frank and Hazel. They are sitting on the couch, talking about something. When I walk in they stand up. Hazel gasps, seeing my bloodied face.

"Hey," I wave casually. Hazel rushes over.

"What did you do?" she asks.

"Got in a fight with Octavian," I say, earning a laugh out Frank.

"You got in a fight with Octavian? Wow, man. That was not a smart thing to do," Frank replies.

"I've been told," I reply and excuse myself to go wash off my face. I don't bother packing, since I practically live on this ship anyway. I walk into the sitting room of the Argo II and see everybody relaxing on couches. Hazel, Piper, and Percy are playing some sort of card game; Annabeth is reading a book; and Jason and Frank are debating something. The only thing that's missing is me.

"Hey, guys," I say, plopping myself down on the couch in between Piper and Hazel. "When are we leaving?"

Percy glances at his watch. "We should probably go say goodbye to the Romans."

Everybody says their various forms of agreement and we head towards the door. I'm the last one out of the door and down the plank.

This is the moment I've been dreading-the goodbye.

**A/N: Get yourself some tissues…the next chapter is going to be depressing. **

**Please review! If you want to tell me that the story is amazing, go ahead. If you want to tell me that the story sucks, go ahead. I just want to hear your comments.**


	11. Leo's Leaving

**A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. Sorry for the delay in updating. Anyways, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO of HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 11- Reyna's POV

_You can do this, Reyna. He'll be back soon. Do NOT start crying in front of everybody._

I start muttering to myself. I don't normally talk to myself. That's for crazy people. But Leo leaving today is driving me crazy.

Here I stand, in front of Camp Jupiter, ready to send the chosen seven off on their quest.

_I can handle this!_

Okay, I really need to stop talking to myself.

"Praetor?" Octavian smirks. Dang it! I forgot he was right next to me. He's probably been hearing everything I've been muttering.

"Yes?" I inquire. He turns his ugly head from looking at the ship to looking at me.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention to what's happening in the mortal world and not just what's happening in your head," Octavian says, effectively getting under my skin. This guy needs to go die in a hole. He is so infuriating! I wish Leo had burned off his lips so he can't talk.

The whole 'Leo vs. Octavian' fight was absolutely hilarious! But I can't tell either one of them that. I just found it funny that Octavian feels jealous. It was also very odd how Leo didn't want to fight back. I guess he's not a fighting type of guy. That's odd because he always struck me as someone who would fight but I guess not.

Or maybe he was trying to follow my advice and not get on Octavian's bad side. Too late for that!

See, the thing with being an enemy of Octavian is that he is actually really powerful. He doesn't look like it and he never shows it but he can bring you down in an instant. With all his 'telling the future' crap, he doesn't seem as evil as he really is, but I know. I caught him in the middle of some voo-doo thing to a girl that had teased him. Nadia is still in the infirmary.

Since then, I've tried to be kind to Octavian. Well, as kind as I can get because he drives me insane! If only Leo had killed him in their fight. But, Leo wouldn't kill Octavian. Would he?

I'm coming up with all these questions to ask Leo now, when it's too late. He's going to leave soon and my questions might die, unanswered, with him.

Tears spring to my eyes. I blink them away, trying to not let anybody see, which is easy because I've had practice my whole life.

Octavian glances at me. "Reyna," he starts but I don't let him continue.

"It's Praetor to you," I snap.

That seems to anger him. "I have to call you Praetor while a measly _graecus_ can call you Reyna and do so much more with you than I can?"

By now, both of our faces are red, but for different reasons. I am blushing and he is red with anger. It's obvious how jealous he is. I think he isn't even trying to hide it from me anymore.

"Octavian, did you really have a chance with me?" I say quietly. Yes, I know it's mean but it's the truth. It's better to face the truth head-on than avoid it for the rest of your time.

He turns around and stalks off. I hear some of the campers giggling and snickering. One kid in the second cohort, who is right behind me, says, "He's finally gone!"

I spin around on hearing his words. He freezes, scared, and starts to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Praetor. I didn't-"

"It's fine," I reassure him. "I never really liked him anyways."

By now the entire camp has quieted down to hear my conversation with this fourteen-year old boy.

"Really? Amber and I thought you two were…you know…dating."

I recoil in shock. "Ew!" I say instinctively. The entire Camp laughs. The poor little boy and the girl next to him, whom I'm guessing is Amber, are blushing a little bit.

"If I were ever to date Octavian, I would stab myself!" I say to more laughter. I guess I should stop saying all this, though. What if Octavian hears?

Oh, whatever. He already hates me! I'm not going to be like Leo, who refused to fight Octavian thinking that Octavian might still like him. I'm going to fight back. Metaphorically, of course. Not actually punching and kicking at Octavian.

I hear somebody cough behind me and I turn around to see Percy.

"We are leaving now," he tells me and wraps me in a hug.

"Be safe," I tell him. He grins with a smile that says, 'do you really think I'm going to stay safe?'

The remaining six stay back at the bottom of the plank. Leo is looking at his shoes, not meeting my eyes. I turn to face the Camp and say, "The chosen seven are embarking on their journey now. We wish them good luck with Gaea. While they are gone, we will continue life as normal but be sure and keep them in your thoughts." I say to Camp Jupiter. Turning around, I face the seven and say, "We wish you the best of luck."

The last row of campers raise their weapons in a salute. The next row forward does the same, with the next row forward doing the same. Everything goes just as planned.

Until the seven move towards the campers and start saying good bye to their friends. Soon, it's hard to distinguish one cohort from the next because everybody is crowding around Jason and the others. I let them do this, though. I let them have a little fun.

I watch as Frank and Hazel talk to their fifth cohort friends. I see campers wishing Jason good luck. I observe Piper and Annabeth talking to a group of girls about something. Percy is attacked by some old friends in the fifth cohort and he talks with them. I scan the crowd and I can't see Leo anywhere. Panic starts to set over me. Where could he be?

"I'm going to miss you," a voice says behind me. I spin around and see Leo, still refusing to meet my eyes.

"Yeah, me too," is all I can manage to say. He's starting to really annoy me by not looking me in the eyes.

"Leo?" I say angrily. Finally he looks up and I see the unshed tears in his eyes. I embrace him, trying so hard not to cry myself.

"You better come back or I'll…I'll…" I stumble on something to say here. The thought of losing Leo is more than I can bear so I stay quiet.

Leo smiles. "I promise I'll come back."

"Don't!" I say. "I can't have you promise something that you cannot control. You just are going to get my hopes up and then when you don't return, I'll be more crushed, and-"

Leo's lips press gently against mine. I slowly kiss him back, not caring about anybody seeing us right now. All I want to focus on is how good it feels to be here with Leo.

We pull apart and I see that tears are falling down his face.

"I'll be back before you know it," he says and quickly walks away without giving me time to say goodbye. I guess that's what he wants. He doesn't want to say that word, 'goodbye.' I guess once he says it, he'll feel like he's leaving forever. Not saying it will make it seem like we'll only be separated for a few days.

I like how he did that. I vaguely notice that the seven are back on the ship now and all the campers aren't bothering to get back in their assigned rows. I let it slide. Instead, I smile and wave, along with the rest of the campers, as the Argo II takes the sky.

* * *

Hell.

That's the best way to sum up my life without Leo. I could say, 'It's unbearable!' or 'it's pure torture,' but using that word really gives off the dark meaning I want it to.

I try and forget about Leo, thinking that doing so will make it easier to live without him. But, Leo is everywhere. I can't seem to get rid of him! Every day I wake up, remembering the time that Leo woke me up at dawn. When I brush my teeth, I remember Leo standing in the doorway to my bathroom, watching me. Every time I leave my house and pass that wooden bench, I want to start bawling.

For breakfast, I can't go into the kitchens to check on the meals because just seeing fire reminds me of how he hated his fire curse. When I go to training, watching the newbies try and learn sword-fighting and archery remind me of Leo's failed attempts at both. During lunch, Octavian flirts with me (eeew) knowing that I'm more vulnerable without Leo.

After lunch, I go inspect the cohorts and am reminded of Leo when I see anybody laughing. Their laughs aren't his but just seeing the campers so happy reminds me of Leo, and how happy he was most of the time.

I get IMs from Piper, but only Piper IMs me and nobody else. I wish I could see his face again. I want to run my fingers through his curly brown hair and stare deep into his warm brown eyes. After the third day of Leo being gone, Piper stops staying in contact with me and I lose it. I go sulk in my house for the rest of the day, refusing to come out.

Whenever I walk home, I'm reminded of Leo through the red flower I keep as decoration on my window sill. I can't go sulk in the woods and through my dagger at a tree anymore because that _also _reminds me of Leo. When a camper compliments my hair or says that I'm looking good that day, it reminds me of Leo's blunt compliments. For example, the time he said, "Wow, you look hot in your pajamas!" I remember how Leo tried to give me advice on Jason. That seems like ages ago but in fact, it was a week ago.

Even the smallest things remind me of Leo. Like when a camper is using rope to tie something. That reminds me of when Piper and Annabeth bound Leo and I to a tree and left us there all afternoon. One day, I saw a guy camper chasing a girl camper around the field and it reminded me of how obvious it is that Leo was hopelessly in love with me.

Love… that word is so strong but accurate to describe my feelings for Leo. Yes, you heard me right. I love Leo. I just wish I could have realized that before he left. Now my secret might die with him.

It's crazy to think that I, the girl that never loved anybody, fell in love in the course of a week. Leo and I have only spent a week together but it feels like so much more.

But, as hard as it is to face the fact that Leo's gone and I'm all torn up, life moves on. I'm still the Praetor; I still have to carry out my duties. So, I put back up my mask. I don't show my emotions to anybody unless I'm scolding them or praising them. During the day, I am what the Romans always see me as: Strong, fearless Reyna. At night, I'm in tears, praying that Leo will come back alive.

_Come back soon, Leo. I'm a mess, and emotional wreck without you, _I think. _I need your happiness, your humor, your everything. Don't you dare die on me. I miss you._

_I love you._

**A/N: Wow... I'm even surprised at how sad and depressing that sounded. What do you think? Tell me in a review! **

**(And; yes, I stole a line from my other Leyna story. Recognize where it is? If you can, I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter!)**


	12. Reunion

**A/N: _HUGE shout-out to Insanity is my second name, Lily, and AthenaGrayEyes98! I love you guys. :) _**

**Yep, those three readers got the question in the A/N correct. Nice job:D Anyways, here is Chapter 12 of Unexpected.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO of HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 12- Leo's POV

One golden drachma. That's all I needed to stay in contact with Reyna. It seems so simple but for some unknown reason, the gods insisted on keeping me away from Reyna for a week and a half. Magically, all of our drachmas disappeared.

When I found out that Piper had talked to Reyna the first few days, I was furious. Why didn't Piper tell me this? I could've chatted with Reyna too. Instead, I was worried sick.

I dream at night about our goodbye. Well, it wasn't technically a goodbye considering the fact that neither of us actually said 'goodbye.' I didn't want to say goodbye because then it would seem like the final time we would be seeing each other. If I postponed saying goodbye, it would be like I'd just be gone a few days and come back soon.

I'm pretty sure Reyna understood that. I have no doubt. She can understand my feelings better than anyone else. It's creepy and makes me feel vulnerable but I can't just admit that out loud. I'm a guy and guys are as tough as nails.

I used to think that Reyna was as tough as nails. But, then once I got to know the other side of her, I realized she wasn't as strong as she made everybody believe.

Speaking of Reyna's strength, I wonder how she's holding up without me. She seemed pretty torn up when I was departing on my quest. I think she's continuing life as normal, but secretly missing me. That sounds like something she would do.

The thing with Reyna is that she has a heart; she just doesn't know how to love. She openly admitted to me that she doesn't love me. That hurts more than you can possibly imagine. I love her with all my heart and she can't reciprocate the feeling.

But, no matter what, I am _never_ giving up on Reyna!

"Leo, when are we going to be back?" Hazel walks into my little work room and starts coughing. "And why is it so hot and stuffy in here?"

I look at my map. "We should be home soon," I tell her.

She looks frustrated. "Like, how soon?"

"Fifteen minutes or so," I reply.

"Oh, thanks," Hazel says but doesn't leave the room. I go back to looking at my maps and thinking about Reyna. Soon, the awkward silence becomes too much for me and I glance at Hazel. She's sitting down, leaning against the wall, with her eyes closed. She looks so peaceful.

Almost as if knowing that I'm staring at her, she opens her eyes and glares at me. "What?"

"Nothing," I say quickly and turn away. I hear her laughing.

"You're hopeless, Leo," she says and walks out, leaving me to ponder what she just said. I'm hopeless? Hopeless in what? Hopeless how? Why does Hazel have to be so confusing?

My heart speeds up as I look at the map. One more minute left. Finally, after a week and a half, I get to see Reyna!

I slowly lower the ship. Once it hits the ground, I take off from the engine room. I see everybody gathered at the door. Nobody looks any different, but I know better. We all have been scarred mentally from this hard quest. I mean, defeating Gaea was way more difficult than anyone could've expected.

I press a button on the side of the ship and the door opens. I get my first glance outside. Nobody's waiting for us. That's odd. I thought that the Romans would be all over the heroes of the world.

"Where is everybody?" I ask the obvious. I get shrugs in response.

"I don't know where the Romans are. All I know is that I'm tired and I'm going to sleep," Percy says and walks off towards the fifth cohort. Everybody except Jason, Piper, and I follow him. I excuse myself to give Piper and Jason some alone time and to go find Reyna.

As I pass the training area, I see campers training. I guess we didn't tell them that we were coming back so soon. When one camper spots me, she whispers to her friend and points at me. Feeling uncomfortable, I start walking a little faster.

I hear the clatter of swords stopping. I turn around to see what's going on. All the campers are staring at me like I have three heads or something. Then, one by one, they start clapping. I stop walking and stare back at them. Soon, I hear wolf whistles and whoops and hollers from the Romans. I guess they know that the seven are back now because they've seen me.

Before I can get myself out of this situation, I'm surrounded by curious Romans. They ask me questions about the quest and about my fire abilities. I answer all their questions, loving the attention. But one thing nags at the back of my mind; _Reyna_.

"My turn to ask a question; where's the Praetor?" I say to a guy to my left.

"She's in the Senate room," he replies and I excuse myself. Some of the more dedicated campers go back to training while others run towards the fifth cohort, guessing that Percy is there. They all want to talk to the heroes.

I reach the Senate room in record time. Inside there is Octavian, Reyna, and another camper. She looks up when I walk in and meets me eyes. Reyna and Octavian seem to be scolding the camper so I wait awkwardly in the corner until they're done. Not even a minute after I've walked in, Reyna dismisses both the Roman camper and Octavian.

Before Octavian is completely out of the room, she embraces me. I wrap my arms tightly around her small waist, trying to keep the tears from falling. "I missed you," I say, breathing in her familiar vanilla scent.

"You missed me?" she says and I realize how much I missed the sound of her voice. "I thought you might never come back! I missed you so much. Everything I did reminded me of you and how much I love you."

I took a small step back in shock. Reyna loves me? This is amazing! Finally, a girl loves me back.

I don't think about Reyna's confession for too long because she punches me in the arm, hard.

"Ow, what was that for?" I complain.

"That was for making me cry. Leo, you don't know how much I missed you. I can't even express it in words. Why did you have to go like that?" she says, tears forming in her eyes. "I got almost no sleep. Even the tiniest things reminded me of you. Like whenever I walked into my house, I passed the flower that's sitting on my windowsill. Remember that red flower you gave me? I still have it. And-"

Kissing Reyna in the middle of her sentences is becoming a habit of mine. But this time, I'm trying to stop her from talking. I can't bear to hear about all her sorrows. I just want her to be happy again.

Our lips press together in seemingly perfect harmony. Reyna kisses me back passionately. She tastes like vanilla which is a familiar scent/flavor to me now.

We stay like that for a while, wrapped up in each other. It ends when Reyna pulls back and whispers once again, "I love you, Leo."

I smile probably the biggest smile in my entire life. I knew that if I didn't give up on Reyna she would eventually love me back. My dreams are coming true.

"I should go away more often if this is the greeting I get when I come back," I tease. She just rolls her eyes, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the room.

"It's dinner time," she explains, seeing my confused expression. We walk into the eating pavilion and sit down at a table with the rest of the seven. Of course, Reyna didn't come with us on the quest but she's always welcome over here.

"So," Reyna starts as we get our food. "Tell me about your quest."

I launch into a long explanation of how we had to fly back to talk to a mortal named Rachel Dare. Apparently she held some key of that would help us defeat Gaea. Once we got the key (and it was literally a key) we headed back to Greece and kicked some Gaea butt!

Reyna wasn't really listening to what I was saying but that's okay with me. I've already gotten more than I expected from her. Well, I knew she was going to tell me that she loves me but I never imagined that she would do it now.

After dinner, Reyna and I go on a walk. It's clear that we both want to spend every moment with each other now. It's an interesting feeling knowing that somebody loves me as much as I love them. Well, maybe not as much. I don't think any love in the world can compare to my feelings for Reyna.

I am becoming Mr. Corny. I swear, every day I say even more cliché things than I did the day before. To get my mind off that, I start a conversation with Reyna.

"Hazel called me hopeless today," I tell her, wondering how she manages to look so beautiful in the moonlight.

"Oh, she did?" Reyna responds, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. I don't know what she means by that, though," I confess.

Reyna rolls her eyes and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'boys don't understand anything.'

"What is that you say, ReyRey?" I ask.

"What will it get for you to stop calling me ReyRey?" she asks, changing the topic.

"You don't like your precious nickname?" I say, fake gasping.

"Obviously. So will you please stop calling me that?"

"No," I laugh.

"Please?" Reyna asks politely.

"Nah, I think the name suits you." She thinks that I'll give in to her pleading. Yeah right. I may not seem like it, but I can be stubborn sometimes.

"Grr, you are so annoying sometimes!" she throws up her hands in frustration.

"But that's why you love me," I say gathering her up in my arms and trying to kiss her. She slips out of my grasp before I can put my lips to hers, though.

"You're also stuck-up and cocky," she explains. I just give her my trademark lopsided grin. "You are so overly confident and you believe that everybody is just going to laugh away at your jokes."

"Most people think my jokes are funny," I protest.

Reyna starts rambling on about other quirks in my personality. When she stops to take a breath I say, "Do you remember War?"

"War?" she asks, obviously confused.

"The game that Jason made up. We played it two weeks ago."

She blushes, remembering.

"This is starting to be a lot like that. How you are insulting me and I have a witty comeback for each one," I tell her.

"I guess it is," she says.

"I hope nobody is going to come attack me and bind me to tree this time," I earn a laugh from Reyna.

"No, not this time," she says, but then frowns. "What was I saying before you interrupted me?"

"How much you love me," I say hopefully but instead of rolling her eyes, smirking, or punching me in the arm (which is what she normally does) she leans over and kisses me.

My only thought is '_I can get used to this._'

**A/N: Okay, I know I told you guys that this story was going to have 16 chapters, but I'm narrowing it down to 13. The next chapter will be the last. So, review if you want your name to go in the ENOURMOUS shout-out at the end of the next chapter! And if you're wondering exactly why the story is titled 'Unexpected,' you'll find out next chapter. **


	13. The End

**A/N: This the last chapter!** _**Before I start, I'd like to give an ENORMOUS SHOUT OUT to all that reviewed on this story while it was in the works: eatcheesecakelikecrazy, Name, Duh-Stupid-Me, Anotherhopelessromantic23, Fluff-is-awesome, my dad is hermes what now, .N, Ninjasaremylife, Kayla Lex's sister, PercyJackson-Fangirl-No.1, ilovereading, athena grl, Guest, P. Sayb. N , Shadowpikachu223, Wonderstruck Pen, prancer dancer toga and cookie, someone, morbid bookworm, Mr. High-and-Almighty, Bessie, AthenaGrayEyes98, Pantomino Grey, kcamie131, ImmaNerd98, MyReview, Tratie4everr, Lily, Insanity is my second name, GleekGurl333, happyfacehappyface, FireofRiptide, Reviewing On Your Story, Adele3, and last but of course not least, 1000BlackBalloons.**_

**Thank you guys for your support and comments. I love all of you! Enjoy this final chapter of Unexpected.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO or HoO.**

Unexpected

Chapter 13- Reyna's POV

I sit in the garden, thinking. Sitting and thinking has become a hobby of mine nowadays. Especially in the garden.

It's hard to believe that just three weeks ago, I would go sulk in the woods instead of the garden. My life took a huge turn, but for the better. Times before, my life would take a turn for the worse.

A few weeks ago I wouldn't have ever dreamed about telling my feelings to somebody else, much less kissing that somebody. I used to be so afraid of opening up. Sure, I still don't talk much to people besides Leo, but I'm making progress.

Now to think about it, the old Reyna would still be mourning over Jason if it wasn't for Leo. I haven't thought about Jason in a while. When I do think about him, it's not in the same way I used to. I've gotten over him.

I used to be able to count on one hands the amount of times I've cried. I can't do that anymore because I sobbed countless times when Leo was away on his quest. I'm still mad at him for not IMing me but I'll eventually get over that too. I'm not as stubborn as I used to be. I'm still pretty stubborn, but just not as much.

Out of all the things that changed, a few haven't. For one, I still despise Octavian. I actually hate him even more now. He is a loser that needs to go die in a hole, alone.

I am still the Praetor and I still complete my Praetor duties as I used to. Even though Leo tries to convince me that Jason (who is Praetor again, by the way) can do my work while I sneak off with him, I don't listen. I need the Romans to see me as a strong leader that can manage everything.

Now that Jason is Praetor again, Percy is thinking of going back to Camp Half-Blood. Well, I can't blame him for wanting to go back home, but if he leaves, then Leo might. Leo knows that he doesn't belong here. There's nothing I can do to fix that. I just hope that he'll stay with me.

I wonder how my life would be if Leo went back to the Greek camp. I won't be as upset because this time I know that he will live. I'll also force him to keep in touch. We could IM or even write letters.

But, still, how awful would it be to have a boyfriend that lives across the country? I can't let Leo go back to Camp Half-Blood, I just can't.

I stop thinking about Leo and start thinking about the flowers around me. I start a little when I realize that I'm sitting on the same bench that Leo and I sat on a few weeks ago. That was after he gave me the pretty red flower that is still sitting on my window sill. He told me that he overheard Piper and Jason talking about us being a couple.

My eyes fix on a random blue flower in the middle of all the yellow flowers. I remember pointing it out to Leo and saying that I was like that flower; I was an outcast. That was the day that we made our deal to tell each other everything.

I stare at the flower for a little bit until I hear voices and footsteps. They sound like they're coming right towards me. I listen really hard to try and see if I can recognize the voices. It sounds like Jason. I wonder what he's doing out here? Probably walking through the garden with Piper. That would explain the female voice I hear too.

The footsteps stop and I hear the sound of people sitting down on a bench. I should leave now and give them a little privacy. As soon as I stand up, I hear my name in their conversation. This urges me to sit back down and listen in on what they're talking about

"I mean, out of all the girls in the world, it's Reyna," I hear Piper say. What does she mean by that?

"Be happy that he actually got a girl to love him back," Jason says in return. Oh, they're talking about Leo. I shift uncomfortably in my spot on the wooden bench but keep listening.

"It was very… unexpected, don't you think?" Piper says.

"Yeah."

"That's a good word for it; _unexpected_. A few weeks ago, could you see Reyna and Leo getting together?" Piper asks.

"Not at all," Jason sounds bored.

"And they are so different, nobody could have guessed that they would end up together," Piper continues anyway although I know she can tell Jason is not interested. "It surprised me when my mom told me."

"Your mom told you what exactly?" Jason is intrigued. I'm truthfully kind of scared to hear what Piper has to say but I stand my ground.

"She came to me in a dream and told me that 'unexpected love would bloom between two unlikely lovers,'" Piper imitates her mother's voice. Wait a second… so Venus was planning this all along? I don't understand why a goddess would care that much about my love life, but okay then.

Jason smirks. "You should talk like that more often," he comments.

"Why?"

"Because it suits you. It really defines you as a daughter of Aphrodite," Jason says, effectively getting under Piper's skin. Even _I_ know how much she despises being a daughter of Venus.

I take this as my cue to leave. They are done talking about me and Leo so I really shouldn't listen in anymore. I stroll out of the garden and watch the campers train. Even though Gaea has been defeated and the world isn't in peril, I insist that they keep practicing. They need to keep their skills sharp just in case something like Gaea happens again.

"Hey, Reyna!" I hear a camper shout. I go over to him. What does he want? "Do you have time to spar?"

I grin. "I always have time to take down someone like you," I snarl. Some of the campers are watching us but I don't care. Let them see me beat up this little camper.

We start to fight and he is weaponless within the first minute. By now, a crowd has gathered around us. Some girl steps into the ring, ready to fight. I grin once again. I haven't fought like this in a while.

I slash and hack away with my dagger, defeating opponent after opponent. None of the campers are training anymore. They have all come to watch their Praetor fight. This doesn't pressure me at all. I can take down any of these Romans any day, anytime. The only guy who stands a chance against me is Jason and he is busy in the garden with Piper.

As I take down yet another camper, you'll never guess who steps into the ring. Leo.

"You really think you can beat me with skills like yours?" I start laughing. He has no chance against me. I remember trying to teach him how to use a sword and he failed miserably.

"Bring it on," Leo snarls, his hair as messy as ever and his eyes bright with excitement. I lunge at him first but he counters be surprisingly well. When he swings at me, I barely have time to block it.

"When did you get this good?" I question. The campers stare at us, happy that somebody now is lasting longer than the others.

"I was taught well," he replies and I lunge at him once again. We turn into a flurry of jabs and blocks. For a while, I can't tell who is going to win. At one point, he makes a final mistake by hesitating after a blow. I seize the opportunity and knock his sword clean out of his hands.

"Yes!" I cry and Leo just stands there panting. The crowd of campers are cheering for me and laughing at Leo. That was way harder than I expected it to be. I thought sparring with Leo would only last a minute, not even. He seems to have improved since I last saw him.

Before Leo or I can say anything, the lunch bell rings. The campers head to lunch, still talking excitedly about that last battle. Leo and I watch them walk off and just stay standing here.

"So, when did you get so good?" I ask once again.

"I already said, I was taught well," he responds.

"Seriously," I insist.

"I guess fighting Gaea taught me some new skills," he says. Oh, I never thought about that. Fighting Gaea would definitely help improve his sword-fighting abilities.

I rest my head on his shoulder and watch all of Camp Jupiter sit down and eat lunch.  
"You know, I overheard Piper and Jason talking about us," I say casually.

Leo groans. "Not again. What did they say this time?"

"They just said that they didn't expect us to fall in love," I say, not-so-casually.

"You know, it was unexpected for us to get together," Leo says comfortably. He's so much better saying this type of stuff than I am.

"Three weeks ago, I never thought that I would be where I am right now," I confess. "But I'm glad that my life has changed.

He kisses me forehead. "Me too."

**A/N: THE END! Thank you all for reading. Please review and tell me what you thought of this story. Thanks again to all that reviewed while this story was in the making. :)**


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